


Imposters Among Monsters

by Miome, Tsaiko



Category: Among Us (Video Game), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Alcohol, Alien Biology, Alien Character(s), Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Gender/Sexuality, Alternate Universe - Aliens, Alternate Universe - Among Us (Video Game) Setting, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Blood and Injury, Brotherly Affection, Canon compliant levels of murder, Discussion Of Murder, Drinking, Eventual Relationships, Explicit Language, False Accusations, Fellcest - Freeform, Humor, Killing, Minor Character Death, Multi, Murder, Non-Consensual Voyeurism, On-Screen Minor Character Death, Polyamory, Really accidental on purpose voyeurism, Sibling Incest, SpicyKustard, Threesome - M/M/M, Trauma, Underfell Papyrus (Undertale), Underfell Sans (Undertale), Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Violence, Voyeurism, this is a fusion of undertal and among us, trauma response
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:54:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 22,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26685487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miome/pseuds/Miome, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsaiko/pseuds/Tsaiko
Summary: What if monsters lived in the universe? No, not Monsters from the Underground. Real monsters. Monsters who wear the face of monsters and humans alike, but are alien inside. Real monsters. Imposters.And what if those that seemed to be the nicest monsters that were the Imposters?This story follow Sans and Papyrus, a couple of Imposters masquerading as skeletons, as they attempt to fulfill their contract on a space station where Red and Edge, two actual skeleton monsters, are working.
Relationships: Papyrus/Sans (Undertale), Sans/Sans (Undertale)
Comments: 258
Kudos: 228





	1. What is that smell?

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on the idea of fusing Undertale and some of its AU's with the idea of Imposters from Among Us. Only instead of Fell monsters being the strange ones, 'Tale monsters are actually Imposters pretending to be monsters. I had the idea, posted about it on [my tumblr](https://tsaiko.tumblr.com/post/630419467857543168/undertale-crack-idea), and could not stop myself from writing something in this universe. I am weak
> 
> Special thanks to [Miome](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miome) for giving me inspiration and bits of dialog. :D

"I CAN TELL YOU LIKE EDGE SO I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU ARE BEING SO RESISTENT TO ADMITING IT," Papyrus said. Sans cocked his head to one side, studying his brother. He was telling the truth. Or at least he thought he was telling the truth. Papyrus really believed that Sans had feelings for Edge.

He wasn't wrong, but Sans didn't know how his brother had figured it out.

"what make you so sure i like him," Sans asked. He'd gotten pretty good at reading his brother's false face over the years. The emotion he saw? Embarrassment. "bro?"

"YOU ARE EMITTING PHEREMONES EVERY TIME YOU ARE IN PROXIMITY TO EDGE. IT IS... OVERWHELMING. I CANNOT TELL IF EDGE HAS SIMILAR FEELINGS FOR YOU. OBVIOUSLY SKELETON MONSTERS DO NOT HAVE THE GLANDS TO PRODUCE PHEREMONES. WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT FACT TO KNOW!"

Sans stared. "you... did you smell me?" The thought was vaguely horrifying. Not only was smelling another Imposter deeply intrusive, it was also incredibly sexual. "that's not... could you not?"

Papyrus started wringing his hands. "I KNOW IT IS INAPPROPRIATE, BUT I COULDN'T HELP BUT SMELL YOU. DID YOU KNOW MONSTERS HAVE THEIR OLFACTORY ORGAN TURNED ON ALL THE TIME?"

"no." Sans wished that his brother was joking. He wasn't. Papyrus didn't joke when it came to learning about non-Imposters. "i guess it make scents though."

"I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY ODD AS WELL, BUT RED SAID HE COULD SMELL..." Papyrus trailed off as Sans's word penetrated. He stomped his foot. "SANS. THAT WASN'T EVEN A GOOD JOKE."

It was good enough to get a reaction from Papyrus. Sans's smiled turned fond. "but really bro, all the time?"

"IT WOULD SEEM SO. I HAVE STARTED KEEPING MY OLFACTORY RECPTORS TRIGGERED AT ALL TIMES TO MIMIC IT. YOU SHOULD DO THE SAME. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE DO OUR BEST TO BLEND IN WITH ACTUAL MONSTERS." Papyrus struck a pose.

"do skeleton monsters even have olfactory organs?"

"THEY MUST BECAUSE I WAS IN THE LABORATORY WITH RED AND HE COULD SMELL BURNT METAL FROM WHERE YOU OVERLOADED THE WIRING." Papyrus's hands moved in random patterns as he spoke. "WE WERE LUCKY I WAS ABLE TO CONVINCE HIM THAT I TOO SMELLED IT AND THAT WAS WHY I WAS THERE."

Somehow Sans doubted Red was convinced. Papyrus was terrible at lying. It was one of the many reasons why they didn't take jobs that required them to kill people. Oh well. It wasn't like Red and Edge didn't already think they were imposters. "good job."

"THANK YOU." Papyrus preened. "I BELIEVE THAT I AM GETTING MUCH BETTER AT DECIVEING PEOPLE."

"if at first you don't succeed, lie, lie again."

Papyrus sucked in a breath and let it out in a huff. "FOR LYING OUT LOUD, SANS, THAT'S TERRIBLE."

It took a second, but Sans's got it. His grin widened. "what can i say? i'm just a fontain of truth."

"UGH." Despite his words, Papyrus's touch radiated affection. "YOU ARE A DECIETFUL LITTLE _T'K T'KIYA_." Here Papyrus dropped into their native tongue, getting as close to the correct pronunciation as the form he wore would allow. "BUT I STILL LOVE YOU FOR SOME REASON. JUST TRY TO REIN IN YOUR PHEREMONES WHEN YOU ARE AROUND EDGE. I DO NOT THINK THAT ANYONE BUT ANOTHER IMPOSTER WOULD RECOGNIZE THEM FOR WHAT THEY WERE, BUT WE NEED TO BE CAUTIOUS."

"pheromones are a reflexive response. i can't exactly control it."

"I BELIEVE IN YOU SANS."

Sans sighed. "i'll try."

"THANK YOU." There was a brief pause. "AND PICK UP YOUR SOCK. IT WAS BAD ENOUGH WHEN ALL I DID WAS NOTICE IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FLOOR. NOW I CAN SMELL IT TOO."

***

Smelling things all the time was weird.

First, Sans hadn't realized that smell affected the taste organs as well. He was use to people comparing his taste in food to a garbage disposal. Except for blood, uncooked meat, potatoes, and tomatoes, it all tasted vaguely the same to him. Sans hadn't realized there was a reason for that. He wasn't sure he liked it.

Then he'd taken his first sniff of coffee. Holy cow. Magic had burned heavy in his bones and tried to coalesce in his pelvis when he inhaled the smell. He knew what that reaction in this body meant. Sans had never really enjoyed coffee. He'd drunk it because everyone around him drunk it. It was a habit at this point. Besides, coffee had a host of micronutrients that helped Sans maintain this form.

But wanting to fuck the coffee? That was too much. After that, Sans turned his olfactory receptors off when he was eating. They were more trouble than they were worth.

He did try to keep them on otherwise. Sans had never known that so many things had an odor. The corridors? They had a smell. Popcorn left too long in the station's microwave? A smell. Laundry that was pulled off the floor? It had a smell. Sometimes times not a nice one. Which certainly explained some of the complaints Sans had had over the years.

People and monsters alike each had their own smells. It didn't just happen when they were terrified. How had Sans never known that? Maybe because he'd always kept his olfactory sensors switched off after realizing he could smell terror. Some of his kind liked the smell. Sans thought there was something wrong with them. He hated it.

Papyrus might say that he couldn't tell if Edge was giving off pheromones of his own, but Sans thought he must be. He had a scent. It was warm like the air that came out of the vents on some of the machinery and spicy like the tea Edge sometimes made for himself. When Edge was around his brother it mellowed somehow, became rounder and weighty. When he was around Sans, it grew sharp and pungent.

What did that mean? Sans didn't know. Smelling everything was too new to him.

Red's scent also changed whenever he realized Sans was around. Sans would also classify Red's scene as warm, though less spicy and more like the potting soil found in the grow rooms. Earthy. He recognized the sharp, bitter scent of adrenaline whenever he surprised Red, though it never turned acrid like terror did. There was also a rich, pungent thread that didn't always happen when Red was around Edge, but sometimes did. It caught in the back of Sans's throat and made his soul pulse in strange ways. Did he like it? Sans wasn't sure.

Sans needed to investigate this further by hanging around the two skeleton monsters. You know. For science. And certainly not because he had developed feelings for Edge. Or Red. Not at all.


	2. Seed of Doubt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans isn't sure what tipped Red off to what he was, but something sure did. Doubt is the only thing keeping him alive at this point and he's going to milk that for all it's worth.

"What are you doin' back here?"

Sans opened his eyes from where he'd been napping behind a couple of crates in the storage area. Red was looming over him, arms crossed. He looked pissed. Probably was. It was one of the three emotions Sans had seen Red express beyond lazy contempt for everyone on the space station. The other two emotions being asshole-ish glee and fierce protectiveness towards his brother.

"m'trying to sleep."

"In the storage room right next to the oxygen supplies?"

Was this near the oxygen room? Sans blinked a few times, trying to push his thoughts through the lingering effects of sleep and examining his mental map of the station. It was. 

"its not like you'd die if anything happened to the oxygen," Sans replied. He could tell immediately that it was the wrong thing to say. Fuck. He needed to wake up more. Red was too smart for him to be having this conversation while half awake. "why are you creeping around this part of the station?"

"Maybe I was just in the area," Red replied. He'd dropped his arms, one hand in his pocket and the other beside him. Like he was just waiting for Sans to try something so he could have an excuse to throw a bone attack.

"or maybe you just came from security and saw what room i was in." Sans got to his feet. This seemed to be a conversation that needed to be had while vertical. Red watched him with hooded eyes. It did not escape Sans's notice that his gaze never strayed from him. "we have to stop meeting like this. people will talk."

"People are already talkin'. Mostly 'bout the fact that your always hangin' around the major station systems," Red replied. His grin was almost predatory. Which seemed appropriate given his teeth. "Why is that Sans?"

Sans smiled went a bit crooked. "you are really going to accuse me of being an imposter in a remote storage room while we're alone?"

"No." The word cut through the air, shifting the tension in the room from Red to Sans in an instant. "He's going to accuse you of being an imposter in a remote storage room with me at your back."

Oh. That should not be as attractive as it was. Sans hadn't even heard Edge come into the room much less come up behind him. He glanced behind him to see Edge had a bone attack in his hands. The edge (heh) of it was sharp enough to split atoms.

If Edge had been another of his kind, his display of casual competency and threat of violence would be a first date. Too bad he was a monster. This wasn't a courtship.

"hey edge." Sans kept his voice steady and his posture relaxed. Just another friendly chat between friends. No threat of violence here. None at all. "didn't hear you come in. guess i'm in _grave_ danger."

Edge frowned. Guess he wasn't acting like a normal monster should when cornered. Sans got that a lot in these situations. Though usually it didn't matter because people rarely survived after they cornered him. He really hoped he didn't have to kill Red or Edge to get out of this.

"You're going with puns as your reaction to being threatened?" Sans shifted his focus back on Red, while keeping his senses trained on Edge. One advantage of being an Imposter. Red looked both annoyed and impressed.

"that accusation hits pretty close to the bone." Red laughed. This tense situation and he laughed at Sans terrible sense of humor. Sans felt something warm in his chest even as Edge sighed behind him. "i guess i'm just a humerus kind of guy."

"There's somethin' wrong with you." Laughter still lurked in his voice, turning it rougher and warmer at the same time. 

"Yes. He's an Imposter. That is what's wrong." It almost sounded like he was reminding Red of that fact.

"that's an unfair accusation. there's no proof i'm an imposter," Sans replied.

Then the lights went out.

Sans kept very, very still even as the tension in the room went up a notch. Several notches actually. An entire bedpost's worth of notches. Sans could feel sweat trickling down his vertebrae. 

"What did you do?" Red demanded.

"nothing." Which didn't sound very convincing even to himself. Sans cleared his throat and tried again. "i've been here for the last ten minutes having a friendly chat and sleeping before that. i can't be in two places at once."

The light from Edge's summoned bone attack glowed in Red's eyes, like a faint mirror of his own red magic. He was so sure Sans was the Imposter. So sure. But Sans could see the flicker of doubt.

"Your brother is also an Imposter. He could have killed the lights," Edge replied.

"my brother is in security."

"That doesn't mean shit," Red said. 

Then the intercom system kicked on with a burst of static.

"HELLO. THIS IS PAPYRUS. CHARLOTTE WAS RUNNING A NEW EXPERIMENT AND BLEW THE GENERATOR. THENTOOK OUT THE BACK-UP GENERATOR. WE DO HAVE THE EMERGENCY POWER UP AND RUNNING, BUT HOWARD CAN'T GET THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS ON-LINE. PLEASE STAY WHERE YOU ARE UNTIL THAT IS FIXED. NO ONE IN SECURITY WANTS TO HAVE TO ESCORT PEOPLE TO MEDICAL."

"He could be lyin'," Red said. Sans did not imagine the defensiveness in his voice. Edge, having been around Papyrus for longer than five seconds, snorted. Sans turned to give him a look.

"hey buddy, i'd be respectful about papyrus if i were you." Edge did not look impressed by Sans's threat. He turned his attention back to Red. "if you dusted me, would anyone believe that you and your brother weren't imposters?" He could see Red weighing his options. 

"I still think you're full of shit." Sans shrugged. No argument there. "We're keepin' an eye on you."

"Brother." It was a question and a statement all wrapped up in a single word. Red walked around Sans, never giving him his back. A strategic retreat. Sans kept his posture relaxed as Red met up with Edge, and they both backed out of the door. Only then did he let himself slump down.

Fuck. Why did these two have to make themselves so interesting?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who knew that being sneaky, threatening, and extremely competent was such a turn-on in Imposter culture? Certainly not Edge.


	3. Mistakes were made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red thought he had a method for picking his jobs to keep him and his brother safe.
> 
> He thought wrong.

Red was very, very particular about what jobs he'd accept. Which was hilarious considering he and Edge had lived almost hand to mouth since they fucked off from Fell. Humans and monsters were used to the nice, friendly monsters from the United Tale Federation. Stupid bullshit prejudice. Most monsters would think that would force them to take everything they could find. Most monsters were idiots.

His favorite type of jobs were short haul cargo or passenger transport along known, well established routes. Unfortunately, everyone else in the entire universe also liked those jobs. They were reliable, stable, and the threat of encountering an Imposter was low. Supply and demand was alive and well. Because so many people wanted those jobs, the pay was absolute shit. So even though they were the types of jobs Red preferred, he and Edge didn't take them often.

Rotations on brand new ships were out, especially if they were big, fancy, or had been billed as having Imposter proof security systems. Big ships meant more people and more people meant a higher likelihood of one of them being an Imposter. Fancy ships, especially new ones, were prone to "mysterious" accidents that led to an announcement that all crew members were lost and a hefty insurance payout. And bragging about Imposter proof security systems? The owners might as well draw a giant target on the damn things. Besides which, new ships often had new systems. Even if they had been tested while in dock, Red didn't particularly like being the guinea pig for testing them in space.

Planetside stations had their own set of problems, but were worth it every once in a while. The issue there was that despite all the rules and regulations, sometimes people got greedy and put them on planets with sentient beings. Sentient beings who usually really didn't appreciate a giant, alien science station being plopped down on their planet. Then there was unknown alien, microbes. He and Edge had run into one of those situations where all the humans almost shit themselves to death while all the monsters on the station did double or triple duty to keep everything functioning. And that scenario was considered best case when it came to illness. The news was littered with stories of stations that suddenly stopped contact for mysterious reasons, and Red had no desire to be a one line sentence in a reporter's story.

Space stations were his favorite type of gig. Self-contained. Well stocked. Didn't attract the thrill seekers. Easy to leave should things go FUBAR. Red had gotten something of a reputation as an expert on out of date systems and slightly older technology. He preferred manufacturer parts but was good at improvising in such a way that the crew was not in mortal danger. People were willing to overlook the whole Fell aspects of his demeanor if it meant he could keep the life support system running. 

So when the call went out for a maintenance expert for an eight month stint on a station in orbit around a large planet, Red was intrigued. That didn't mean he just read the job description and applied. He did his homework first. There was a job for Edge as well. The place was older, but not too old. Red had worked on similar systems before, so the technology was familiar. The mission was atmospheric and scientific research on a planet that was not apart of any planetary federation. The supply runs were even spaced every two weeks. All the scientists involved were legit and had an internet presence. Those that were listed already for this mission had previous experience so there were no "mysterious" new humans or monsters being hired who had never done the job before. He'd have to look into the rest of the hired crew when they got there, but this place ticked off all the right boxes.

Some monsters called him paranoid. Red preferred to think of himself as a realist. He couldn't eliminate all the dangers that existed out in the world, but he could damn well limit some of them.

Which was why he was caught so off guard when he and Edge showed up for their latest station job and were introduced two "monsters." Red recognized the names. They had a decent work history built up and had survived long enough that Red hadn't thought they'd be an issue. Boy was he wrong.

"This is Sans. He works on keeping the lights on and all our testing gear up and running. He's a very popular guy." The human laughed like there was a joke in what he'd said. "And this is Papyrus. He'll be working Security same as you, Edge. Sans, Papyrus, this is Red and Edge. Red will working in station Maintenance."

Holy shit. What the fuck were they? Superficially they resembled skeleton monsters. Sans was short, and a bit on the pudgy side. Papyrus was tall and lean like a runner. They looked... well, not like human skeletons. More like human skeleton adjacent. There were no horns. No tails. No wings. No bony ridges. No spiked or bifurcated spinal processes. Hell, they didn't even have sharp teeth or claws. All the shit Red and Edge had gotten about being the plainest skeleton monsters in the universe, and these skeleton monster wannabes couldn't even be bothered.

Sans looked like someone had fused his face with a smiling emoji. He hadn't stopped grinning the entire time. Was his face stuck like that? Did he have any other expression but smiling? And did the humans not notice that Papyrus didn't have any fucking eyelights? It was like looking into two dark pits where eyes should be. How could anyone think that was normal?

Red realized that the moment had stretched too long. Sans had his hand out to shake. The human was looking at him like he had lost his mind. His brother's eyes had narrowed, probably trying to figure out what had spooked Red. Too many people watching him. He could fee sweat beginning to form on his forehead.

"Nice to meet you," Red said. He reached out as well.

A wave of cold raced up Red's spine as their hands touched, and the Judge stirred to life behind his eyes. Red could tell when his eyes met Sans's that he was being judged. He could feel the stillness come over him. Then the Judge whispered. _Watch him._

The thing was... there was no fear in Sans's eyes as he stared down the Judge. His smile never dimmed. But he did cock his head to one side, as if examining an interesting bit of machinery that did something unexpected. Then the moment was over. Sans let go of his hand without any hesitation. Then he was cracking a joke with the human while Edge kept sneaking worried glances at Red.

Fuck. What had he gotten them into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As far as Red is concerned it's not paranoia if the universe really is out to get you.


	4. Making friends with some reservations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge does some questioning and winds up with a friend instead.

Edge wasn't sure what to think about Sans and Papyrus. 

His brother certainly had opinions. He'd seen the way Red had flinched from Sans when they shook hands, and heard the slight panic in his voice when he explained to Edge that he suspected he had gotten them on a doomed mission. Red was prone to making quick judgements. Most of the time he was right. But sometimes he wasn't. When that happened it practically took a shift in the space/time continuum to get his brother to change him mind.

Maybe Red was only partially right. Edge believed him when he said that Sans and Papyrus weren't monsters. They didn't act like monsters and they only superficially looked like skeleton monsters. But after six weeks on the station, they could have easily killed someone. They hadn't. Murder didn't seem to be their goal. Perhaps their goal was to make enough money to live on. Edge could understand just wanting to survive in a world that was determined to think the worst of you. 

From the corner of his eye, Edge saw Sans appear on Camera 9 coming down the hall way from the labs and heading towards maintenance. He hit a button to make the video appear on the main screen. The camera must have made a sound because Sans looked up. Sans must have seen the red light flashing because he made finger guns at the camera.

Huh. Edge smiled as he reached for the communicator and selected Sans's frequency. He watched Sans looked down at the communicator on his belt. A second later he pushed the button.

"Skeleton Taxidermy service. You snuff 'em we stuff 'em."

"Do you need something Sans?" Edge asked, keeping his voice bland despite the smile that wanted to break through. Even though Sans's grin didn't change – Edge was beginning to think he couldn't do anything but smile – his eyes widened slightly. Surprise? He'd probably been expecting his brother.

"Uh..." One of the things about Sans that Edge was sure about was that he was quick on his feet. Hearing Edge's voice instead of Papyrus's may have surprised him, but he recovered quickly. "Want to hear a joke?"

"No." Edge immediately cut the communications before Sans could start telling one anyway. It was hard to tell on camera, but Edge thought Sans's smile looked less pasted on and more genuine. He gave a little wave to the camera before continuing down the hall.

Less than ten minutes later, Papyrus was back in the Security room after having done his rounds. He sat in the chair and sighed. "WELL IN GOOD NEWS, THERE IS NOTHING TO REPORT SECURITY WISE. WHAT ABOUT ON THE CAMERAS?"

"Your brother was making finger guns at the camera in the hallway," Edge said just to watch Papyrus huff as he sat in the chair. "Also he has terrible taste in jokes, which he inflicts on people over the comms."

"I HAVE ASKED HIM TO TAKE COMMUNICATIONS SERIOUSLY, BUT SANS DOES NOT LISTEN." Papyrus sighed like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Edge kept his face carefully neutral, but he understood. Red also did not take things seriously when he should. 

"Brothers."

"INDEED."

What would the crew think about an Imposter in Security? Edge huffed a laugh that had nothing to do with humor. Half the crew already thought he was an Imposter and in Security. He watched as Papyrus filled out his report on his rounds. "Do you often take jobs in Security?"

"HM? OH. SOMETIMES. OTHER TIMES I TAKE JOBS MOVING CARGO AS A GRUNT OR WORK COMMUNICATIONS." Papyrus perked up suddenly. "MY FAVORITE TASK IS CREATING AND SOLVING PUZZLES, BUT THERE IS LITTLE CALL FOR THAT IN SPACE."

"Creating and solving puzzles is a time honored monster tradition," Edge agreed. Papyrus preened. A tradition that few monsters practiced any more. Did Papyrus know that? A real monster would know that.

"YOU HAVE ASKED ME MANY QUESTIONS, BUT YOU MAY CONTINUE TO ASK MORE. SMALL TALK IS IMPORTANT TO MAINTAIN INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS."

Asking would be a calculated risk. Papyrus was an Imposter. He could react badly to being confronted. There was a camera just outside Security – it was too easy for someone to be murdered from behind while watching cameras for there not to include a camera just outside – but that didn't stop Papyrus from killing Edge quietly later.

"Why are you and your brother here?"

Papyrus went very, very still. Which was a big tell considering that Papyrus couldn't hold still for longer than five seconds. Then he seemed to shake himself. When he turned to Edge, his smile was just a bit too wide and his voice a bit too bright.

"WE ARE HERE FOR THE SAME REASON YOU AND YOUR BROTHER ARE. TO GET A MONEY SO WE CAN PAY FOR THINGS WE NEED TO SURVIVE. THAT IS UNFORTUNATELY A REQUIREMENT WHEN LIVING IN A CAPITALIST SOCIETY."

Edge could push. Or he could offer up a bit of his own past as a sign of trust. Red never talked about their time on Fell and Edge preferred not to dwell on it. "My brother and I left our world. We are not welcome back. Monsters from the Tale Federation often judge Fell monsters without giving us a chance. Even when all we want to do is survive and be left alone."

"Oh." The word came out softer and less strident than when Papyrus usually spoke. He fidgeted with the pen, before setting it carefully down. There was a tension in the room that hadn't been there before. It felt like the beginning of an encounter, one that could be good or bad. Edge felt his magic surge to life in anticipation. Regardless of how it went, Edge did not regret his confession.

What happened was that the comms crackled to life. What incredible timing.

"Uh... security? We need someone to come unlock the bathrooms with the master key. Connie managed to lock herself in. Again."

"I WILL GO AND SAVE OUR FELLOW CREWMATE." Papyrus practically leapt to his feet and raced to the lock box where the station master keys were kept. Edge let him. It was obvious he'd pushed too far. Papyrus punched in his code, got the key out, and headed towards the door. When he got to the doorway though, he hesitated. "EDGE. AFTER GETTING TO KNOW YOU, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK IF YOU WANT TO BE FRIENDS."

He sounded so formal. Instead of smiling, Edge gave the request grave consideration. Friends. Aside from Undyne, he hadn't had a friend since leaving Fell. "I accept your offer to be friends."

"GOOD!" Papyrus seemed pleased. "NOW, FRIEND, I MUST LET CONNIE OUT OF THE TOILET. I WILL SEE YOU LATER."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am 100% sure that Sans has a whole host of terrible puns that he uses whenever Papyrus has to contact him using the communications.
> 
> Also, please take this moment to review the tags that have already been added for the fic. I will be adding more tags and upping the rating as we start the next arc of this fic because obviously this crew are a bunch of horndogs. That was not in the original plan.


	5. Alien Biology is Weird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad enough that Sans had had to explain how their species had sex and created little Imposters to Papyrus. Now he had to explain alien sex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have waited all week to post this chapter and now I can. The rating increase for this series was cause by the next chapter, not this one. Sorry to disappoint.

"... AND CHARLOTTE AND HOWARD ARE FIGHTING AGAIN. WHICH MAKES NO SENSE SINCE I SAW THEM IN MEDICAL THE OTHER DAY WITH THEIR PANTS AROUND THEIR ANKLES. I AM PRETTY SURE THAT IS A PREREQUISITE FOR SEX AND I AM ALSO ASSUMING THAT IS WHAT WAS GOING ON OR ABOUT TO HAPPEN. I WAS STARING AT THE CEILING TRYING NOT TO SEE ANYTHING AT THE TIME SO I CANNOT BE SURE," Papyrus said. He gave a full body shudder that rattled his bones. "THAT IS ALL THE GOSSIP I HAVE."

Sans had already given his rundown. It was a habit they had gotten into whenever they had a moment to themselves. He had found it always paid to know the relationship web of a place when in close quarters for extended periods of time. Papyrus might not fully grasp how relationships worked, but he was good about reporting and keeping track of what people were doing.

Really, that should have been the end of it. But Sans hated keeping secrets from his brother. Even when he was pretty sure Papyrus didn't need to know. It wouldn't accomplish anything. He could just keep his mouth shut on what he'd seen.

"edge and red are fucking."

Or, you know, he could just blurt it out.

"I DID NOT REALIZE THEY HAD A SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP AS WELL AS A FAMILIAL ONE. I AM SURPRISED THAT EDGE DID NOT MENTION IT CONSIDERING WE ARE NOW FRIENDS."

"uh... monsters usually do not usually have sexual relationships with their siblings. they might not want to advertise that fact."

Papyrus cocked his head to one side, a gesture that Sans knew he did as well. "WHY NOT? IS THERE SOME WAY THEY CAN BE SURE THEIR GENETIC MATERIAL IS THE SAME? THAT WOULD MAKE IT PRUDENT TO NOT TRY AND CREATE A CHILD."

Oh boy. This is what happened when his brother skipped all the chapters about sex in the relationship manual. Bad enough that Sans had had to explain how their species had sex and created little Imposters. Now he had to explain alien sex.

"monsters are like humans," Sans tried. hoping that would be enough. Nope. Papyrus made a gesture for Sans to continue. "usually it only takes two to make a little monster and they tend to pair for multiple seasons. sometimes for life."

Now Papyrus looked thoughtful. "AND MONSTERS CAN BE BORN MANY YEARS APART AND STILL HAVE THE SAME PARENTS?" Sans nodded. "I GUESS THAT MAKES IT MUCH EASIER TO TELL IF YOUR GENETICS ARE SIMILAR IF YOU ONLY HAVE TWO PARENTS. IN A WAY, REQUIRING ONLY TWO PARENTS SEEMS MORE EFFICIENT. FINDING A THIRD TO CARRY THE EGGS BEFORE THEY ARE LAID ALWAYS SEEMED TO BE A PROBLEM FOR PEOPLE. ONLY TWO PARENTS DOESN'T SEEM LIKE A GOOD WAY TO ENSURE THE OPTIMAL MIXING OF GENETIC MATERIAL THOUGH."

"trust me, red and edge definitely didn't have a problem mixing their genetic material. don't think a baby was the goal though."

"SANS! DON'T BE CRUDE." Sans laughed at Papyrus's reaction. His brother shook his head. "STILL. MAYBE I SHOULD DROP HINTS THAT I KNOW? EDGE AND I HAVE BEEN TALKING QUITE A BIT IN SECURITY. IT'S NICE TO HAVE SOMEONE TO TALK TO AND I WANT HIM TO KNOW HE CAN TALK TO ME."

"woah there buddy." Sans could see this situation going off the rails quickly. "maybe in this case you should wait for him to bring it up. otherwise he's going to wonder how you know."

"A GOOD POINT," Papyrus said. Then his eyes narrowed. "HOW EXACTLY DID YOU FIND THIS OUT?"

"well..." Sans sighed. Might as well get this over with. "i was taking a shortcut through the vents and saw them."

"THE VENTS?" Papayrus started gesturing wildly. "DO YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THAT IS? EVERYONE KNOWS THAT IMPOSTERS USE THE VENTS. WHAT IF THEY HAD BEEN BOOBY-TRAPPED? THERE ARE CAMERAS IN THERE WITH FEEDS THAT GO TO SECURITY. YOU COULD HAVE BEEN SEEN. WHY ARE YOU EVEN TAKING THE VENTS? JUST WALK."

Sans scratched at his cheek. "kind of didn't want to run into anyone. the humans have been really chatty lately and i just wanted to get back to my bunk."

"TO TAKE A NAP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY, NO DOUBT." Sans shrugged. No use in denying the truth. Papyrus took a moment to think and Sans gave it to him. The odds were 50/50 his was just thinking of more things to scold him for. "SO ARE THE VENTS TRAPPED?"

"nope." Sans could feel his grin go more genuine, softer around the edges. "the four cameras in there don't work either. haven't since the first week we got here. seems like the maintenance request got lost in the shuffle too. i'm sure red has got higher priorities anyway."

"WHAT'S BEING DISPLAYED IN SECURITY THEN?"

"cameras must be stuck on freeze frame." Sans's face was carefully schooled into an innocent look. "funny how the error sensor didn't go off. must be a problem with the wiring."

"WELL, I'M SURE THAT IS A MYSTERY THAT CAN BE SOLVED TOWARDS THE END OF OUR TIME HERE ON THE STATION," Papyrus said. Then Papyrus got a look on his face, one that said Sans was going to be the recipient of some brotherly ribbing. "THE FACT THAT RED AND EDGE ARE TOGETHER MAY HELP YOU OUT. THIS WAY YOU ONLY HAVE TO CONVINCE ONE OF THEM OF YOUR INTENTIONS AND THE OTHER WILL SURELY FOLLOW."

"paps, i'm not sure it works that way. they may not want or be willing to have a third," Sans said. Then he realized he had just confirmed for Papyrus that he was interested in the brothers. "er. assuming i want them both."

Papyrus gave Sans a look like he was the densest person alive. "DON'T WORRY BROTHER. I BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN SHOW THEM THREE IS THE OPTIMAL NUMBER IN A RELATIONSHIP."

"heh." Sans couldn't find it in him to counter his brother. "thanks bro."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love that I can just take large chunks of alien biology from one of my original stories and recycle it in this one. It was super serious in the other story. In this one? It's just hilarious.


	6. Keeping an eye on things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The worst part about instincts is that they often kicked in at the most inconvenient times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did everyone take a moment to review the tags? Good, good. This is the chapter that made me bump up the rating.

Sans was in the vents.

Papyrus had warned him off the vents and Sans had done his best to avoid them for at least a week. The problem was people always wanted to stop and chat in the hallways. The scientists were the worst because they all wanted to be on his good side since he was the person who could fix their machines quickly or put it on the bottom of the pile to get to when he felt like it. Everyone else just liked talking with him. Sans got it. He was a funny guy, a good listener, and pretty good keeping the conversation going.

Sometimes though Sans just didn't want to socialize. Hence the vents.

There was another reason Sans took the vents. Papyrus rarely assumed his true form. He actually seemed to prefer being a skeleton monster all the time, probably because it didn't involve inconvenient genitalia. But Sans? Sans liked to stretch his tentacles every once in a while. It was like relaxing a muscle he didn't realize he was clenching until he let go of the tension.

Having tentacles made moving through the vents quicker, easier, and quieter. The only downside was that the vents were rarely cleaned. Which was fine once Sans moved through them a few times. He just had to take a shower afterwards. But the vent he was currently in was off the beaten path, and was a bit gritty for his taste. 

Not that there was a problem taking little used vents. He'd found an entire crate of booze stashed in one of them. The good stuff too. Or possible a counterfeit version of the good stuff. Little things like encouraged Sans to go off the beaten path once in a while. Who knew what he might find?

There was a sound from the storage room. Not a mechanical sound either. If Sans had to classify it, he'd say it was somewhere between a whine and a whimper. Like someone was in pain. 

He slid slowly, carefully to the grate and put his eye up to it to look through the slats. Oh. _Oh._ Well. The sound he'd heard was not pain. Looked like Edge and Red had decided to christen another storage room. 

Edge had Red bent over a crate, pants just pulled open enough that his cock was out. Red had his pants around his ankles and hands braced against the crate. The sweep of his spine was oddly vulnerable where it wasn't covered by his shirt. He shuddered as Edge pressed against him, his front to Red's back. It looked like Edge was trying to cover him. To protect him when he was exposed, and guard him while he was unguarded.

Papyrus may have left the chapters on sex in his relationship manual in pristine condition, but Sans had leafed through it a few times. Then he'd taken his new body out for a test drive, which had been fun. Then he'd found a couple people to give him a more hands on demonstration of what it could do. Research was important, and if Sans was going to be spending a lot of time in a particular form, he was going to research the hell out of it.

He'd never seen two people who obviously loved each other and knew each other's bodies do it though. Sans had seen porn. It was disturbing. Usually he could tell that one – or even both – people in it were just there for the money. It was a job. One they may or may not even enjoy. There was a reason Sans avoided porn.

What Red and Edge were doing was so different it might as well be a completely different act. Edge moved his hips. Red made another small noise and Edge shushed him. His hands stroked the sweep of Red's ribs, like he was gentling some wild animal.

Sans should look away. This was a private act obviously done in what the two assumed was privacy. He shouldn't be watching. He should just continue on his way.

His instincts had a different take. Red and Edge were vulnerable and he should watch over them until they were done. Sans silently gnashed his second set of teeth. That made sense if a) they were Imposters and b) they were all involved. Except neither of those things were true and Sans should really just keep going.

But willpower had never been his strong suite. Sans curled his tentacles to him and kept his eye pressed to the grate. Edge's hips were moving, rocking Red and the crate Red was braced against. He couldn't tell if Edge was touching Red's collar. Maybe? Maybe not?

He wished he could see Red's face from this angle. What would it be like to be held down like that? Sans had a brief mental image of tentacles twining with his own, holding him down, and coaxing him to reciprocate Edge's affectionate movement. Skin to slick skin. The warm, spicy scent of Edge surrounding him, pinning him down like it had weight.

Which was not going to happen. Edge was a monster. He didn't have tentacles to hold Sans down with. He didn't even know what Sans was.

A low growl jerked Sans back out of his head. Red was breathing deeply, but his body had gone pliant beneath Edge's. Had he come? He certainly seemed more sated than he had before.

The tension in Edge climbed higher. Red magic burned bright in his joints, and he moved in jerky, almost frantic motions. All at once, the tension snapped. He clutched Red tight for several seconds before going boneless. Red took his weight, supporting his brother through his own release.

It was only when Edge started to stir that Sans felt he could stand down. He watched Edge step back and adjust his pants. Red let out a muted hiss as he did. Crimson magic coated the inside of his thighs, vivid proof of what they'd just done. Somehow Red managed to turn around without tripping over the shorts around his ankles before giving in and yanking them back up.

Red didn't say anything. Just grinned up at Edge, all smug and pleased with himself. Edge leaned down and kissed his briefly before straightening his clothes. Sans watched Red's expression soften slightly and felt a pulse of fondness race through him.

Yep. He was in way over his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, it's super hard to do a sex scene in around 1,000 words.
> 
> Second, Sans has a lot more frustration now.
> 
> Third, I would say something about Red & Edge needing to get a room, but let's be honest, they kind of did. :D


	7. Covering for you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things aren't always sunshine and rainbows on the space station. Red gets that. But why do the two skeletons he suspects are Imposters feel the need to cover for them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween!

Red was feeling pretty good – and pretty well fucked – when his comm unit went off. The red light flashed furiously. Huh. That was the Emergency Meeting call. Never a good sign. He immediately did a U-turn in the hall and headed towards the cafeteria. 

Of course who should he encounter in the hall, but good ol' Sans. Where the hell was he coming from? Red felt the familiar prickle of warning on his bones. He kept to the opposite side of hallway, and a step behind Sans. 

"You know what this is about?" Red asked as they approached the cafeteria. 

"no idea." It didn't sound like a lie. The Judge agreed, stirring restlessly in his brain, before its attention came into focus. It had a sixth sense when it came to trouble, which meant Red had a sixth sense when it came to trouble. Something was definitely going on.

About half the crew was already in the cafeteria when Red entered. He took a moment to scan their faces for clues. Bruce looked murderous. Finna, a fish type monster, looked like she'd been crying. His gaze slid to Papyrus next.

Papyrus wasn't looking at him. He was looking at Sans and making some sort of gesture. It wasn't Hands. Red knew what talking in Hands looked like. This was something else. Though it was a good way for Sans and Papyrus to silently, and discreetly, talk to each other. Hell, Red wouldn't have even noticed it if he hadn't been focused on Papyrus.

He quickly looked over at Sans. There was a subtle shake of his head. Whatever was going on, Sans was responding in the negative. He made a small gesture back at Papyrus.

Papyrus shook his head back.

What the fuck? Papyrus knew something, probably because he was in the middle of his shift in Security. Red immediately started looking for Edge, but his brother wasn't here. He could feel people's eyes on him like a physical weight as he strolled across the room. It was only when he had a wall at his back that Red allowed his posture to relax.

Nothing to see here. Look at how little he was worried that this had anything to do with him. Don't look at the sweat that was gathering on his skull or sliding down his bones as the minutes ticked by. Almost everyone was here and his brother wasn't among them. Edge was fine. His brother was fine.

Finally, _finally,_ Edge walked in. Red had to fight to keep his grin casual as relief coursed through him. One of the buns who worked in the greenhouse was right behind him. Edge frowned at him, probably seeing his anxiety a mile aware. His body was relaxed as he took up a position right beside Red.

"I take it this isn't a drill," Edge asked, his words masked by the din of the cafeteria.

"Don't know what's goin' on. Gotta little tidbit on the other two skellies when we're alone," Red replied, just as quiet. Edge's attention immediately went to where Sans and Papyrus were standing next to each other. 

"Thank you everyone for gathering so quickly," Bruce said. People went quiet. "The reason you were called here is because Patricia is dead. We found her body in her berth. She hasn't been dead long."

There was stunned silence before the entire cafeteria exploded. Edge gave Red a sharp look. "You knew?"

"News to me. It's not a surprise to those two." Red inclined his head towards Sans and Papyrus. "I don't think they did it."

Edge huffed. "That would be the first."

"Everyone! Settle down." Finna's voice cut through the noise. It kind of reminded Red of Undyne. "We need to know where everyone was in the last hour."

"We can start with you two," Bruce said, swinging to stare at Red and Edge. Red tensed, feeling magic spark in his. Edge put a hand on his shoulder. Before he could say a word, someone else was speaking.

"i can vouch for edge for the last hour," Sans said. His voice wasn’t loud, but it seemed carry over the cafeteria. Every eye that had been focused on them, shifted over to Sans. "i was with him. he was nowhere near the bunkrooms."

"What were you doing with Edge?"

The faintest hint of a blush bloomed across Sans's zygomatic arch. "that's a bit personal there buddy."

_What!_

Red's first reaction was a mixture of betrayal, anger, and resignation. He'd known this day would come. Edge would find someone else, someone who wasn’t his brother. He just thought Edge would tell him instead of him finding out this way. Humiliation burned like acid in the back of his throat. 

Then Red stopped reacting and actually started thinking about what Sans has said.

_Wait. What?_

There was no way. He had been with Edge up until ten minutes ago fucking in a storage room. Sans couldn't have been with Edge for the last hour. It wasn't possible. So why the fuck was Sans covering for Edge? Why would he think he had to? Did he know that Red and Edge had been together for the last hour? 

Did Sans know about Red and Edge's relationship? 

He could feel the weight of the Judge behind his eyes, waiting to impart knowledge that Red really didn't want to know. Luckily, Bruce wasn't done with his line of questioning. "What about you?"

"RED WAS WORKING IN THE REACTOR ROOM EARLIER," Papyrus said. "I SAW HIM ON THE CAMERAS."

Which wasn't a lie but wasn't the whole truth either. Red had been working near the reactor, but that was three hours ago. Papyrus was lying. To cover for him. Red gave him a grin. 

"What 'bout you, Brucie?" Red asked. "Where were you? Since you're in a sharin' mood an all."

"Red." Edge's voice was laced with warning while Bruce's face turned an ugly shade of red. Asshole. Red was tempted to let the Judge out on him just for spite.

"Bruce was helping me calibrate the water purification system," Finna replied. "Then we stopped by Security because Patricia hadn't joined us." She gave Red and Edge a look, but continued. "Since you two have alibis, let's move on."

For a long second, Red was sure Bruce would push back. He didn't. Instead, he turned sharply to the next person and angrily integrated them. Edge gave Red's shoulder a squeeze. Message received. He'd play nice. For now.

Red stole another look at Sans and Papyrus. Looks like their lives just got a lot more interesting. As if they weren't interesting enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun adding a scenario from the Among Us game to this chapter. Also, Red. Red sweetie. Edge is not going to leave you.


	8. Putting it to rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So many reasonable explanations for what is going on. People are beginning to think there's not any Imposters on the station after all.
> 
> They'd be wrong though.

Edge was an hour into his shift in Security when Bruce showed up. He knew the second the human was at the door, would've known even without the cameras. He didn't react. Let Bruce wait. Edge did not have time for someone who threw out baseless accusations. Besides, it always reminded people who had the upper hand when he ignored them.

Bruce cleared his throat. Edge continued to fill in his report in neat, crisp handwriting. "Uh... Edge?"

"A moment." Edge made sure to finish the final paragraph without any rush. Then he turned to face Bruce, his back ramrod straight. "Can I help you?"

"I read the autopsy report from Dr. Randolph," Bruce said. He shuffled his feet uneasily and ran a hand through his hair. 

"Medical reports are confidential."

"Except to Station Managers when there is a suspicion of Imposter activity," Bruce replied, his voice going sharp. "I don't need you to quote policy to me. I know the rules." Then he sucked in a breath and let it out in a big rush. "Patricia died of natural causes. I owe you and your brother an apology."

"You do. I'm just surprised you're actually giving one." Edge watched Bruce shrug off the accusation. "If you need to apologize to both of us, you should find my brother and give it to him directly. I am not my brother's admin."

That earned Edge a laugh, though he didn't quite see what was so funny. "Yeah, no. I'm pretty sure your brother would kill me with a wrench if he caught me alone

"He's much more likely to stab you than use a blunt object." Which as true, even if Edge wasn't sure that information would help in this situation. "In the future, please refrain from throwing around accusations. People have died because others thought they were Imposters. We do not need a case of hysteria on the station. No one wants to a repeat of the Skeld."

Bruce paled. The Skeld was notorious. The entire crew had been killed one by one because of the belief that there was an Imposter aboard. There wasn't. The last survivor had died when the ship's oxygen system had failed before she could fix it. The whole sordid affair had been reconstructed from reports and video diaries. Everyone lived in fear that their ship, station, or outpost would meet a similar fate, with the crewmembers turning on each other over a threat that didn't exist.

"Right. Right. You're right. As station manager, I should know better," Bruce said. "Anyway I'm sorry. You have my support. If anyone else accuses you or your brother, let me know, and I'll deal with it."

Bruce seemed genuine, but Edge wasn't inclined to trust him given their history. "What made you so eager to believe that there was an Imposter on the station?"

"You've seen this place. Everything breaks all the time. It's like its being sabotaged."

"According to my brother, the entire station has been retro fitted four if not five times. The wiring is a disaster, the programming is in at least ten different languages, and if the bathroom door locks one more person it in, Red is going to set the whole room on fire."

That startled a genuine laugh out of Bruce. "While skeletons don't need the bathroom, it's a requirement for human crewmembers."

"Then you should remind Red of that when you deliver your apology to him," Edge said pointedly.

"Okay. Yeah. I get it. I'll go track down your brother." Bruce hestitated, clearly wanting to say something else. Politeness and distrust prevented Edge from turning his back on Bruce. He could attempt to fill the awkward silence with equally awkward conversation. But that was more effort than Edge wanted to put forth. "Any idea where he might be?"

"He is scheduled to work on the trash chutes today." Bruce made a disgusted face. "I would try there first."

"Thanks." Another awkward pause. "Okay. I get it. I'm going."

Edge watched Bruce leave. He waited a few minutes just to make sure the human was gone before he spoke again.

"It's not polite to lurk, Sans."

Sans stepped into the doorway of Security. How Bruce hadn't seen him hovering in the hall, Edge did not know. "heh. you caught me. guess there's no sneaking up on you."

"Generally, no," Edge replied. "I am assuming you heard that conversation."

"yep." Sans didn't seem the least bit repentant. It reminded Edge of his brother. Red rarely had the grace to look contrite when caught either. "seems like you back in the human's good graces."

"One of them. None of the others have stopped by to chat. I assume that they are still suspicious of my brother and I," Edge said. He turned enough to watch the monitors while still keeping track of Sans out of the corner of his eye. Edge wondered if Sans realized how much a show of trust that was.

"i wanna point out that i'm here talking to you." Wanna. Sans was picking up some of Red's speech patterns. Edge wondered if it was part of the natural mimicry that happened when a group of people were together for long periods of time, or if Sans was more prone to it given what he was.

"You know we're not Imposters." Edge hadn't meant it as an accusation, but Sans took it that way. He went unnaturally still in that way he did when he felt someone was too close to fining out his 'secret.' "Sorry, that didn't come out right." 

"don't worry about it," Sans replied. His sudden relaxation looked forced. He turned his back on Edge, a deliberate gesture to show he wasn't concerned. Edge wasn't fooled. "i should get back to work before the scientists uncalibrate the atmospheric sensor again."

"Sans." 

"that's my name," Sans replied. Edge carefully kept the smile from his face. It wouldn't do to encourage him. 

"You and your brother didn't need to provide us an alibi," Edge said, choosing his words carefully. He wasn't always the best at conveying what he meant. "But your concern was appreciated. Thank you."

Edge watched Sans turn to look at him. Maybe he didn't trust that Edge was telling the truth and needed to see if for himself. The expression on Edge's face must have convinced him, because the grin Sans always wore shifted to something softer. More genuine. It was a good look on him, his actual personality shining through the mask he always wore.

"any time, edge. any time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those of you who have played Among Us will recognize the Skeld as the name of the map for the ship in the game. I thought it would be a hilarious bit of lore that in this universe, it's known as the ship whose crew killed each other and there was no Imposter. Ah irony.
> 
> Also, I love the idea that Sans unintentionally mimics speech patterns of the people around him. Which is something people actually do. There's also research about how people who are stationed together at the Antarctic stations develop their own accents which is a meld of the accents of everyone else stationed with them. 
> 
> Second arc complete.


	9. A Job is a Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You mean there's a reason why Sans and Papyrus are on the station besides so they can meet Red and Edge?

SoSomething was up with Papyrus.

Right now, Sans was content to ignore the way his brother paced the confines of their bunkroom. Their other two bunk mates were out. The only person Papyrus could bother with his inability to stay still was Sans, and Sans was use to his brother's inability to stay still.

"HOW MUCH TIME UNTIL THE BASE COMES INTO SENSOR RANGE?"

"another six hours," Sans replied. He could push, but that wasn't guaranteed to work. Sometimes Papyrus got stubborn. It was always better to let Papyrus decide when to bring up things that were bothering him. Sans figured he'd let it slide for another day, two are most. Then he'd do the whole 'I hatched 15 minutes before you so I'm the older sibling' routine to get Papyrus to open up. "we've got time."

"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO SABOTAGE THIS TIME?" Papyrus stilled for a few seconds, waiting for Sans's answer.

"figured i'd fry the wiring again. it's simple, effective, and not that hard to redo."

Papyrus frowned. "YOU HAVE DONE THAT SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE. AREN'T THE SCIENTISTS GOING TO GET SUSPICIOUS?"

"they haven't so far. mostly their concerned how redoing the wiring will impact their own experiments. they don't care why its going out as long as it gets fixed quickly."

"I SUPPOSE." Papyrus resumed his pacing. "THOUGH I DO WISH YOU WOULD BE MORE CREATIVE WITH YOUR JOB. EVEN THOUGH THE BRAIN IS NOT A MUSCLE, YOU SHOULD EXERCISE IT PERIODICALLY."

"i don't think that's going to workout."

"OF COURSE IT WILL WORK, YOU JUST..." Sans saw the moment that his joke registered with Papyrus. "SANS."

"don't worry about it paps. ellen is constantly running a simulation that almost overheats the computer and draws a ton of electricity. she fries the wires often enough without my help. no one is going to notice the difference between a sabotage and an experiment gone wrong."

"JUST BE CAREFUL. THINGS HAVE BEEN... WEIRD ON THE STATION."

Weird. That was one way to put it. Even after the gossip mill had confirmed that Patricia's death had nothing to do with Imposters, paranoia was at an all-time high. Everyone tried to spend their time with someone else. Buddying up. It wasn't possible 100% of the time, but people were definitely grouping together. Humans were social animals, but they also needed time away from everyone else. Like Papyrus, Sans didn't like the way things on the station felt.

"DO YOU THINK THE MONEY WILL COME THROUGH?"

Which seemed like a non sequitur, but Sans was use to how Papyrus jumped from subject to subject. Today was pay day. Pay day as in the day he and Papyrus got paid for their regular jobs on the station but also pay day as in the half-way mark of their 12 month contract as Imposters. Imposter contracts rarely were paid up front. There just wasn't enough trust between Imposters and the people who needed to employ Imposters for that. Instead payment came in installments. There was some variation, but the general formula was a third of the payment up front, a third at half-way mark, and then the final third when the contract was complete.

"there's no reason why it shouldn't."

"BUT WHAT IF IT DOESN'T?"

Sans put his tablet down to take a look at Papyrus. Usually his brother didn't really care about the Imposter contracts besides not liking ones where they had to kill people. He let Sans handle the administrative tasks. Which was fine by Sans. So what was this about?

"why are you so concerned?"

"IT'S JUST... IF THE MONEY DOESN'T COME THROUGH WE'LL HAVE TO LEAVE THE STATION."

Ah. So that's what this was about. "we technically don't have to. we could stay and just do our 'regular' jobs. it might even be easier that way if our employer invalidates the contract by not paying us."

Papyrus gave him a look like he was an idiot. "I AM NOT SURE THAT OUR EMPLOYER WOULD AGREE TO THAT PLAN."

That was probably an understatement. Sans doubted they would last more than a day without being outed. Red and Edge might vouch for them, but everyone else would just chunk them out the air lock as soon as possible. And the likelihood that their employer wouldn't spill the beans was less than zero.

"probably not. it's not an issue until it is," Sans said. 

"BUT US GETTING PAID ALSO MEANS THAT WE ONLY HAVE SIX MONTHS LEFT WITH RED AND EDGE." 

Sans cocked his head to one side, considering his next words. "you usually don't grow attached to people."

"I HAVE NOT REALLY HAD A FRIEND BEFORE. I LIKE EDGE," Papyrus replied. Then he gave Sans a sly look before wiggling his eyebrows up and down for maximum effect. "AND I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS GROWN ATTACHED. LITERALLY IF YOU USE YOUR TENTACLES."

"paps, please." Sans could feel his face heat up as Papyrus laughed. "i haven't gotten that far. i'd have to tell them what we are before i did."

His brother gave Sans a look like he had said the dumbest thing he'd ever heard. "I AM PRETTY SURE THEY ALREADY KNOW."

"yeah but there's a different between knowing and _knowing._ " Sans sighed. "they have their own ship. maybe we could ask to go with them once our contract is over?"

Papyrus lit up. "I HAD FORGOTTEN THAT. WE WILL NEED TO TELL THEM WHAT WE ARE BEFORE THAT."

"or we could keep it a secret and just hitch a ride with them."

"SANS, NO. WE NEED TO TELL THEM. YOU NEED TO TELL THEM. RELATIONSHIPS SHOULD BE BASED ON TRUST AND NOT LIES. EVEN LIES OF OMISSION."

"you could tell edge."

"I'M NOT THE ONE WHO WANTS TO TWINE TENTACLES WITH EDGE. I THINK YOU SHOULD TELL HIM."

Sans made a high pitched noise. "please don't ever put it that way again. when did your mind get so filthy? anyway, that's all depended on the money coming through.

Before Papyrus could respond, there was a beep from the tabley. Sans brought up the screen to see that the number for his and Papyrus's alternative bank account was significantly higher than before. They had the money.

"NOW YOU HAVE SIX MONTHS TO TELL RED AND EDGE!"

And Sans was going to procrastinate for every second of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens. When I was first worldbuilding for Imposters, I had to ask the question "Why do they show up on ships, bases, and space stations so much?" The answer? Murder or sabotage. 
> 
> Special thanks to Miome for helping me get through the writer's block on this chapter.


	10. Weird Courtship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Red have the weirdest courtship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never really thought about the fact that Imposters can sabotage various systems from any where on the map. Obviously my subconscious wondered about it because it randomly coughed up an explanation half-way through this fic.

Sans wasn't used to people being able to sneak up on him. Most people just didn't move that silently. Heck, other Imposters couldn't even sneak up on other Imposters. At least not easily. Millennia of instincts gave Imposters a sixth sense of when other Imposters were around. When it did happen it usually ended in death or mating.

Edge managed it. Which was both incredibly disturbing and incredibly hot. Sans wasn't sure how he did it. How could someone with that much presence be that undetectable? 

And now, somehow, Red managed to do it as well.

"Gotta problem there Sans?"

The words were right there at his feet, loud and unexpected. Sans jerked up. Which was unfortunate because that smashed his head against the cross beam that supported the console he was currently working on. Pain exploded behind his eyes. He saw little dancing motes of light that weren't there.

"fuck!" Getting out from under the console was an awkward affair. Sans had to squirm his way out on his back. Which would be so much easier if he could use his tentacles. "how can you be so fucking quiet in steel toed boots?"

"Didn't mean to startle you. Sorry." Red wasn't the least bit repentant. He laughed, a little meanly and a little bit in genuine delight that he'd managed to get one over on Sans. Sans could feel his smile slide to something fonder. He deliberately pushed it back to something less revealing. 

"did you come here just to give me a concussion, or do you have an actual reason for tracking me down?" Sans asked. It was a genuine question. Sans was currently working in a little used room – more like a storage closet really - used for monitoring the orbital stabilizers. His head still ached, and he rubbed at the spot between his eyes where he'd hit it.

"Came to ask a question," Red said. Sans was immediately more on alert. Questions from Red usually came with hidden trip wires in them. "Since when izzit the science engineer's job to fix consoles?"

Ah. So that's what this was about. "i didn't know not asking you to do something was a crime," Sans replied. "the scientists have their panties in a twist because the wiring keeps getting fried. i know you got a lot of back-log maintenance so i figured i'd track down the problem myself." And set up a few more sabotages that would conveniently take out the planetary sensors when necessary. "don't worry. it's not the first time i've done general maintenance. i know what i'm doing."

Red's smile was easy and his posture relaxed, but Sans couldn't help but feel like he'd overplayed his hand. "Really? How much maintenance have you been coverin' for me? I wondered why I wasn't gettin' any tickets from the labs."

"i didn't realize it was an issue," Sans replied. "seemed easier just to fix things myself. i'm sure you'll appreciate the sixty tickets i'mma 'bout to put in the system. wouldn't want you to get bored. i'll be sure to let the scientists know you're the hold-up when things aren't fixed."

"Heh." Red didn't rise to the bait. Instead, he tossed a bit of electronics to Sans. Sans caught it easily, then opened his hand to see exactly what Red had thrown. It was a computer chip. In fact, it was one of the computer chips Sans had planted that allowed him to shut off various systems from his tablet.

Sans went still. He realized a second later that going still was a tell of his. One look at Red's face let Sans know he'd seen it as well.

He half expected Edge to walk in. Red wouldn't be accusing him if he didn't back up. Sans waited, but... nothing happened. No Edge. No crew members. Just Red watching him with that intense look of his, making a casual inference that Sans was sabotaging the station.

It shouldn't make him feel as warm as it did, to have Red trust that he wouldn't kill him. But it did.

"must have been left over from when this place was a smuggler's hangout. you know, during that ten year gap in the official timeline no one will explain."

"Interestin' thing about those chips." Sans did not miss the way Red used the plural. Fuck. How many had Red found? "Not a single one is on the major systems. Reactor. Oxygen. Comms. Lights." Red walked closer to him. Sans stood his ground. "We've been here seven months and the only person that's died did it of natural causes."

What was life without risks? Sans chose his words carefully. A truth without revealing anything incriminating. "no one is here to kill anyone."

"Yeah, figured," Red replied. "I get the feelin' you’re here for some other reason." Sans tensed and forced himself to relax. "But I ain't gonna go pokin' as long as it doesn't involve my brother. I already know you aren't plannin' on pinnin' anything on us. You would have done it by now."

"i wouldn't do that to edge." It was the truth. Sans wasn't as protective of Edge as he was of Papyrus, but he would cover for him if he could. But Edge was only half of the equation. "i wouldn't do that to you either."

"Ain't you sweet," Red said. The words sounded sarcastic, but there was a faint thread of fondness beneath them. 

All of a sudden, Sans became aware of just how close they were standing. Close enough for Sans to feel the thrum of magic that always seemed to surround monsters. Close enough he could hear the way Red's breath suddenly hitched. Close enough to touch. The possibility hung in the air between them, heavy and warm, like a body holding him down in a nest or a tentacle wrapped around him. Red must have also felt the sudden tension. His eyelights went wide and slightly fuzzy around the edges.

Then Red leaned in and kissed Sans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're half way there. 
> 
> Only 10 more chapters to go.
> 
> I love the idea that Sans wakes up, realizes he needs to sabotage something, hits a button on his tablet, and then goes back to sleep. He really put a lot of effort into being lazy. :D


	11. It was only a kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Picks up right where the last chapter left off. Kissing, talking, and making things complicated. Seems like the kind of things Red and Sans like to do.

Sans tasted like magic. 

Red didn't know what he was expecting. Maybe nothing. Maybe for Sans to taste like fish. Or slime. Or something completely weird. Just because he looked like a Monster didn't necessarily mean that it was magic holding his bones together or what Sans used to manifest his tongue. He didn't have much experience with Imposters, but Red had never heard of one who had or could use magic.

But Sans tasted like magic, a warm pop, fizz that made Red eager to taste more. Sans opened so sweetly for him. His teeth parted with the first press of teeth, like he'd been waiting for Red to kiss him. He wasn't the least bit hesitant about using his tongue. Red would have to remember that.

He'd been doing some reading. There was a lot of literature about Imposters to be found on the net, if you had some time and an interest. How to identify them. How to kill them. Brief sketches of where they came from and what their planet was like. There was almost nothing about their culture, nothing about the motivations, and definitely nothing about their mating habits. Hell, there were entire threads devoted to speculating how Imposters reproduced and if Red could bleach some of those messages from his brain, he would. No one knew. No one had gotten close enough to an Imposter to ask. Or if they had, they weren't hanging around super sketchy web forums bragging about it.

Slowly, telegraphing his movements the entire time, Red brought his hand up. Sans didn't seem to mind when he touched him. In fact, he pressed his face against Red's hand where it rested on his cheek bone. He could see that Sans eyes were slitted open, watching him like Red was watching Sans.

No threats here. No one was going to get murdered. There was just heavy breathing and kisses good enough that Red was beginning to feel the burn of magic in his pelvis.

He pushed his tongue tentatively further into Sans's mouth and Sans yielded. Which Red was expecting. What he wasn't expecting was to feel something hard in Sans's mouth. Red explored it with his tongue, tracing out the shape. It felt like a second set of sharp teeth. Sans shivered, hips pressing suddenly against Red, before he jerked back. Somehow Red managed not to cut himself in the process.

Sans didn't say anything. Just stared at Red while going still.

"Always knew my kisses were good enough to leave people speechless."

Just like that, the tension was broken. Sans snorted. "guess it's a good thing you can do something with your mouth, because you sure can't use it to tell a joke."

"Hey, my jokes are great," Red replied. "Not my fault you can't appreciate them." Red reached out and took Sans's hand. He kept his grip loose. He wasn't trying to hold Sans, just letting him know he didn't need to run. "So second set of teeth?"

"yeah. sometimes it's just easier not to change everything." Sans looked embarrassed to admit it. "especially if it's not noticeable." He was giving Red a searching look. Likely trying to decide if Red was weirded out by the fact. Little did he know skeleton monsters tended to be more freaky than plain. "gotta question for you but i don't know if i need to be on the other side of the room to ask it."

"Ain't gonna hurt you."

"what does edge think about this?"

He knew. Red could see it on Sans's face. He didn't even need the Judge to confirm it. Sans was back to waiting to see if Red would freak out. And Red about ten seconds away from doing so. 

Deep breath. There wasn't any judgement in Sans's eyes or condemnation in his voice. Sans knew Red was sleeping with his brother. He stated it like it was a fact. Water was wet. Space was cold. Red and Edge had a relationship. There was no reason to bite Sans's head off about it just because of past reactions. Sans seemed to be reacting differently.

"How did you find out?"

"vents." There was a blue flush across Sans's cheeks, which helped Red ignore his own embarrassment. He had figured he didn't have any left. Trust Sans to be the one to prove him wrong. "uh... you might want to find a different storage room to fool around in. there's a couple without vents."

Red shrugged. "Seems like a lot of trouble. You already know what we're doing to each other." If anything, Sans got more flustered. Now wasn't that interesting. "Enjoy the show?"

"fuck you."

"Not yet." Then Red asked the question that had been bothering him for weeks. "Is that why you gave my brother an alibi?"

"it wasn't like you could tell people where you really were," Sans said. "it makes sense to have an alibi besides family. less suspicious that way." Sans would know. How many times had he had to divert suspicions away from what he really was? "you didn't answer my question. what does edge think about us playing tonsil hockey?

"We haven't talked about..." Red made a gesture to indicate both of them. "It wasn't an issue."

"then you decided to kiss me. i don't want to screw edge over." Sans made it sound like a declaration of some sort. It looked like Sans found the quickest way into Red's pants. By being protective of Edge. "unless this sort of thing happens often..."

"It doesn't," Red said, more quickly than he meant to. He cleared his throat. "We've talked about how it might, but this is the first time either of us have acted on it."

"nice to know i'm special."

"Yeah. You're special all right." There were too many feelings going. "We can put this on hold until Edge and I talk if it'll make you feel better.

Sans gave Red a quick press of teeth on his cheek bone. "i'll be waiting."

Looked like Red was going to have a talk with his brother. Soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When the jaws open wide,  
> And there's more jaws inside,  
> That amore.
> 
> I'm sorry. I have waited eleven chapters to make this terrible, terrible joke and I do not know if it was worth the wait.
> 
> I speculated in the first idea for this fic that Sans had two sets of jaws with teeth. Here's where we see this concept in action.
> 
> Also, three guesses what the next chapter from Edge's POV is about? :D


	12. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red and Edge have a talk.

"We need to talk."

Edge never liked hearing that phrase from his brother. He'd heard it when Red had gained his first LV because Edge had been too rebellious to listen to his brother and had gone digging through the dumps alone. It was the phrase he'd used when he'd proposed getting off of Fell, a misadventure that had nearly cost Red his life. And it was the words Red had used when he'd first shown Edge his soul, cracked and bleeding magic, afraid that Edge would reject him and leave him to die alone. As if that would happen.

So no, Edge did not have fond memories associated with those words.

"What is it? You better not be dying again."

"Fuck, Boss. A guy does that just once and you never let him forget it," Red said. He came to stand over near where Edge was sitting, close enough that Edge could feel the warmth of his magic, but not touching him. Edge wondered if Red realized he'd called him "Boss."

"It was a memorable experience," Edge said. He'd shifted his entire focus to his brother. When he spoke, Edge made sure to keep any sort of accusation out of his voice. "You still haven’t told me what this is about."

"Don't worry. It's not anythin' bad," Red said. Then he wiggled his eyebrows. "Might even be good if we play our cards right."

Given how Red had started this conversation, Edge was skeptical. His brother had surprised him before though. "I'm waiting."

"So... uh... you remember that conversation we had? About other people?"

"We've had a lot of conversations about other people. You'll need to be more specific."

Red rolled his eyes, like Edge was the one being an obstructionist in getting this conversation moving. "The one we had about what would happen if we ever found someone else. That conversation."

Ah. Yes. Edge remembered that particular brand of stupidity. Red was of the opinion that the universe might be full of idiots, but at least a few people were smart enough to realize how awesome Edge was. If that happened, Red wanted Edge to know it was okay to have something on a side. Or make him something on the side. They'd make it work.

Maybe Red was more of an optimist than Edge, because Edge was pretty certain none of the idiots in the universe would ever realize how awesome his brother. It figured that the universe would prove him wrong.

"I'm assuming this is about Sans then." It was always a pleasure to see the look of surprise on his brother's face when he figured something out. Just because he wasn't the Judge didn't mean he was unobservant. "I take it you finally got tired of your hate flirting and made a move."

"Finally got him to admit he was an Imposter." Red must have seen the look of disbelief on Edge's face because he elaborated. "Yeah, think his bro and him are sabatogin' shit instead of killin' people. Which ain't our problem."

"It's a little bit our problem considering I am security and you are maintenance." Edge rubbed at his forehead as Red just shrugged. That was a conversation for another day. He needed to get back to the topic at hand. "You'll need to tell Sans about us. You can't build a healthy relationship without trust." The last line was quoted directly from the Monster relationship manual.

"He knows."

"You told him already?" Edge wasn't ashamed of Red. He was just surprised he didn't have to nag his brother for months on end to do the right thing. "I am assuming he took the news well considering we're having this conversation."

"Heh. We didn't exactly do a whole lotta talkin' if you get my drift." Red's smile grew rueful. "He already knew. About us. That's part of the reason he gave you an alibi that one time. Sans figured it look a bit suspicious if anyone asked what we were doin' alone and we had to take a moment to think of something that didn't include fuckin'."

"If that is the case, then I am all for your relationship with him." Edge managed to say the words calmly, even if his mouth tasted like tinfoil. "You have my blessings. Try not to get caught having sex in a storage closet."

Red just looked at Edge like he was an idiot. It was a look Red often gave him. "I'm pretty sure Sans is up for two for one deal. We'd have to confirm it with him though."

"You think he's interested in me?"

"Who wouldn't be interested in you?" Red replied. Which did wonders for Edge's ego, but didn't cover for the fact that his brother was seeing things that weren't there. Red picked up on what he was thinking and kept talking. "He's been watchin' your ass for the entire time we've been on the station. It's a wonder he even noticed I existed." Edge snorted. As if Red would let anyone forget he existed. "Trust me, he's interested."

"And you think he would be okay sharing us with each other?" It was not a scenario Edge had ever entertained. Mostly because he assumed that no one would comfortable enough or smart enough to go for it. He would need to think about it, but the idea had appeal. A lot of appeal.

"I think he'd jump at the chance, if you know what I mean."

Edge scoffed. "You would put it that way." He took a moment to look at Red, trying to see any reluctance in his brother. There was none he could find. "I'm not... averse to the idea. I would be willing to explore it with him. And you."

Red's answering grin was all trouble. It made Edge's soul squeeze, bright and warm in his chest. He loved Red. If he were honest, Edge already had some feelings for Sans that could easily turn into more. Hopefully this was not a mistake.

"I'll let Sans know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That moment when your beta reader says they haven't received your latest chapter and you frantically check you "Sent" folder to make sure you haven't sent incestuous skeletons discussing polyamory to a random email in your address book.
> 
> It's been a morning.


	13. Going to plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Much like in the Among Us game, sometimes people make bad decisions on who is the Imposter.

"SANS, HAVE YOU NOTICED THINGS HAVE BEEN ODD LATELY?"

"odd how?"

"IT'S... SOME OF THE CREW SEEMS TO HAVE GROWN VERY CLOSE IN THE LAST WEEK. DID YOU SEE THAT CHARLOTTE AND HOWARD ARE EATING AT THE SAME TABLE? THEY HATE EACH OTHER BUT NOW THEY'RE ALWAYS TOGETHER."

"that is weird." Were the humans forming cliques? That was never a good sign. Sans had noticed that Bruce was spending more time keeping people in line. Was he losing control of the situation? He'd been focused on his relationship with Red and Edge the last few weeks. 

"HAVE YOU ASKED RED AND EDGE ABOUT STAYING WITH THEM ONCE OUR CONTRACT IS OVER?" Papyrus said. "SURELY YOU'VE SPOKEN AT SOME POINT DURING ALL THE TIME YOU'VE BEEN SPENDING WITH THEM."

"no, i haven't brought it up."

"SANS..."

Sans sighed. Usually they wouldn't be having this conversation in their bunkroom where their bunkmates could walk in, but Sans might have been dodging being alone with his brother for the last two weeks. Just a bit. And only because he didn't want to have this conversation. "i'm giving them time to process the first surprise before asking if they want to move in together."

Papyrus crossed his arms and just looked at Sans. Sans looked right back. 

"I KNOW YOU SANS. IF YOU CAN AVOID AWKWARD CONVERSATIONS AND CONFRONTATION YOU WILL."

Given that Sans had waited until Red had confronted him directly about being an Imposter – complete with evidence – before admitting it, that was fair.

"just a few more weeks." He didn't know how to explain his reluctance. This thing between the him, Red, and Edge felt fragile in a way Sans couldn't describe. This thing between them was like a soap bubble. Sans wasn't sure how much pressure he could put on it before it would disappear into nothing. "there's another four months on our contract. it's not like there's a reason to rush things."

Comedic timing had always been one of his strong point. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the sound of the door locking went through the room. Papyrus looked at Sans. Sans looked at Papyrus. Then a voice wobbled through the door.

"Hello?"

"HELLO FELLOW CREW MEMBER. OUR DOOR SEEMS TO BE LOCKED," Papyrus said. "PERHAPS YOU CAN ALERT MAINTENANCE OR SECURITY SO WE CAN BE LET OUT?"

"That's not going to happen." This voice seemed more forceful than the first. "We've locked you in for your own good."

"do you mind explaining?" Sans asked. His voice was easy-going. Friendly. Tension made his spine ache, but none of that was reflected in his words. "because we're kinda at a loss as to what is going on."

"We're getting rid of the Imposters on the station." Sans could feel Papyrus go very still beside him. The tension practically radiated off of him. "I know you are friends with those two, but they are Imposters. We can't let you interfere."

"YOU THINK RED AND EDGE ARE IMPOSTERS." It wasn't quite a question. More like an incredulous statement.

"Imposters do this all the time. They make friends in the crew to avoid suspicion," the second voice. Sans was beginning to think it was Lawrence from Admin. "If Bruce had been doing his job, he would have shoved them out the airlock when Patty died."

"PATTY DIED FROM NAT..." Sans shook his head once, sharply, and Papyrus let the rest of the sentence die. Facts and logic wouldn't work on Lawrence now. He had already made up his mind.

"It'll only take an hour. When you see the bodies, you'll know they were Imposters." This came from the first voice. Sans couldn't place the speaker. The voice stumbled over saying the word bodies. 

"And once we have the proof, we'll go to the Institute and have Bruce removed as Station Manager. They'll put someone competent in charge.

Competent. Right. Sans would be good money that Lawrence thought he was next in line for the job. There was a mutiny going on and part of the crew was going to kill Red and Edge over an HR issue. This was why people were so baffling.

"WE NEED TO STOP THIS," Papyrus said. Lawrence obviously thought Papyrus was talking to him. He was rambling on about proof and conspiracies. Sans tuned him out. He and his brother had bigger concerns.

Both of them looked up at the vent in the ceiling at the same time.

"I FEEL LIKE IT'S TIME TO END THIS CONTRACT," Papyrus said.

"i can find edge if you'll get red," Sans said. Papyrus nodded. "red was supposed to be doing maintenance around medbay."

"AND EDGE WAS DOING ROUNDS SO HE COULD BE ANYWHERE." Papyrus laid a hand on Sans's shoulder. "YOU WILL FIND HIM."

"we'll meet up in the hallway near the hanger." Sans's mind was already plotting routes through the vents, calculating the probabilities of where Edge was. "they probably have someone watching red and edge's ship."

Papyrus didn't fully shift. His main form remain a skeleton, but the air around his back shimmered in a way that hurt Sans's eyes if he stared at it too long. Eight massive tentacles sprouted forth, each one tipped in a sickle shaped claw. One pair of tentacles hooked into the vent, yanking down with enough force that the screw holding it in place gave in a screech of metal. Another pair gripped one of the bolted down dressers, dragging it squealing across the floor until it fell over and blocked the door.

His brother's tentacles were achingly gentle as they picked Sans up and held near the vent. Sans changed while cradled in Papyrus's tentacles. He was smaller than his brother, more teeth, and lacking claws. Sans was built for speed. Papyrus was built for strength.

"GOOD HUNTING BROTHER." 

Sans didn't respond in words. Instead, he curled one of his tentacles around Papyrus's and gave it a squeeze. Papyrus squeezed right back. Then he was in the vents, his mind focused on finding his prey.

On finding Edge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to all the crew members in Among Us that randomly get voted off the ship because someone was mistaken about who the Imposter was.
> 
> Also, Papyrus is one scary motherfucker.


	14. Finding Edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans finds Edge

The taste blood of in the air, an iron-like flavor that coated his tongue, was what finally led Sans to where Edge was. 

At least it was blood and not dust. If it had been dust in the back of his throat, then Sans would have made sure no one involved left the station alive. But it wasn't. 

Sans eased himself through the vents until he could look through a grate that lead to the hallway. There was a human – Sandeep – with a broken arm being healed by a moldsmol in the hallway. Two other humans – Jean and Franco – were attempting to get a door open. Jean had a gash over their eye. Franco looked untouched. It didn’t take Sans long to realize why the door was closed. There was a red bone attack driven through the control panel, crackling faintly.

Seemed like Edge had this situation taken care of.

Sans had to backtrack a bit to the previous junction, but he took the left split, dropped silently down, and pressed himself against the vent near the floor. He could see Edge's boots. There was a bone cage built against the other entrance to the room that crackled with energy. Part of the ceiling had been peeled downward, making it difficult to see one corner of the room. 

Carefully, Sans began to push the vent open. The screws made noise as they started to give and bone attack slammed down right in front of the vent. Sans snatched his tentacles back.

It seemed like Edge was a bit jumpy. Sans could appreciate why. It was a little harder to speak in this form, but he managed. "hey, it's me."

"Sans?" He could hear the sound of boots on metal coming closer. "Why are you in the vent?"

"i was coming to uh... to save you. it looks like you have things under control though," Sans replied. "is there anyone in the room with you?" 

"No. They left after I caved the ceiling in," Edge said. "Do you need help?"

"heh. if you could get the grate off and not stab me, that would be awesome." Why did the vents leading into rooms always have to be so small? "i don't exactly have a lot of room to work with."

Edge drove another bone attack between the wall and the grate, using it as leverage to pry off the cover. Sans pushed himself forward, wiggling until two of his tentacles were in front of him so he could try and pull himself through. This part was never easy. There wasn't exactly anything around the vents for him to grip and sometimes his suckers couldn't get purchase on the metal walls.

So imagine his surprise when he felt Edge's hand. Sans couldn't exactly see in this position, but his tentacles were giving him plenty of feedback. The hand was stock still, the bones smoother than Sans would have thought. He pulled slightly and felt Edge brace himself against the motion.

As Sans pull himself free, more and more of his tentacles wrapped around Edge's arm. It was instinctual. He was surprised that Edge was okay with it. Tentacles wrapping around another were always a little much for non-Imposters. Even most monsters reacted to them. Sans finally got himself free of the vent, looked up, and saw that Edge's eyelights were nothing but pinpricks. He was freaked out, but holding himself steady for Sans's sake.

It was such a little thing. Sans might have a ton of feelings for Edge, but it was only because Edge deserved them.

"sorry. i didn't mean to get handsy there. i appreciate the help though" Sans slowly and deliberately unwrapped himself from Edge's arm. Then he shifted, blurring back into his skeleton form. "that wasn't exactly a graceful exit."

"I am glad I could help. I wasn't expecting that many tentacles." Edge took a deep breath and let it out.

Sans rubbed at the back of his skull. "papyrus doesn't have as many." Which was such a random thing to say. "anyway, seems like you have things under control here here."

"They think I am an Imposter." Edge's mouth was a thin, unhappy line. "They cut comms. I haven't been able to speak to my brother. I need to find him."

"papyrus is looking for him," Sans replied. "when he finds red, he'll meet us near where your ship is. are you okay?"

"I'm fine. They didn't even get an attack off on me. I could feel their intent." Edge frowned. "Their attack was uncoordinated and barely planned. I'm almost insulted they thought that it would work."

"i'm kind of glad they were incompetent if it means you are okay."Sans's took a moment to check for himself, but didn't seen any cuts and couldn't smell marrow. His smile went a big crooked. "i hope you don't mind giving us a ride off the station. i don't think we're going to be welcome here after this."

"We were going to ask if you wanted to come with us once our contract was over," Edge said. He looked at the broken door and caved in ceiling. "It seems we'll be leaving earlier that anticipated. If you just want us to just take you somewhere, we will."

"and if I want to stay on-board long term?"

"Then you and your brother are welcome to." The corners of Edge's mouth quirked up. "You might change your mind once you see how small our ship actually is."

"heh." Sans gave the vent a significant look. "trust me, i've been in smaller places."

The door not blocked by bones gave a stacticky crackle closely followed by a yelp from someone on the other side. Right. They were still trapped in the room. Their awkward flirting would have to wait.

"I would prefer to get out of this without more LV if possible," Edge said. He summoned a bone attack even as he spoke, one large enough to look like a club. 

Sans smiled. "i think we can manage that." He cracked his knuckles. "but first, let's see if we can get this door open."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one died in this chapter! No one is more surprised by this fact than I am.


	15. Finding Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red is smart enough to realize that the most dangerous creature in the room is not the guy with the knife at his throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Miome for the awesome line about the posturing idiot. :D

There was no indication that something was wrong on the station. No flashing lights. No sirens going off. No announcement over the PA system, not that they could make an announcement with communications down. Hell, the crew tried to kill Red and he didn't even rate an Emergency meeting.

That was life for you. No one cared about Fell monsters. Even Patricia got an Emergency meeting.

At least he hadn't been forced to kill. The group sent after him had tried to surprise him while he was ass deep in a floor panel doing wiring again. Yeah right. Like Red couldn't hear boots on metal a mile away. Like he hadn't spent the first twenty years of his life on Fell keeping himself and his brother alive. He broke a couple of bones, tore the door right off its hinges with a blaster, knocked one monster out completely, and then got the hell out of there.

The problem was, Red had done something to his ankle in the process, like he was some fleshy heroine in a B-grade horror movie with actual ligaments to tear. He could still move around, but couldn't put his full weight on it. It slowed him down. Which was dangerous on a ship full of people who had suddenly decided to kill him.

Red limped down the corridor, before tucking himself into an alcove. He used a screwdriver to pry off a panel, catching it in his hand before it could hit the floor and give away his position. A think conduit ran down the center. Video feed. 

With communications down no one Security could tell anyone what they saw. That shit was still recorded though, and Red didn't like to leave evidence. Maybe he should concentrate on getting out of here first. But wasn't like he didn't know where everyone would be waiting in ambush (their ship) and it wasn't like he was in a hurry to face them down without back-up. Might as well be useful until he could connect with Edge.

He'd killed the Comms first thing. Just reached in and ripped out the wiring in the universe's worse hack job. Yeah, it meant Red couldn't contact his brother. Edge was fine. Red trusted him not to get dusted by a bunch of hero wannabes. He was probably doing better than Red was at this point. Making sure that the people trying to kill them couldn't coordinate was more important than the creeping anxiety that came with not knowing if Edge was okay.

Unlike the previous attack, there was no warning. One moment Red was slicing through the conduit with his utility knife. The next moment he was pinned to the wall with a knife at his throat. Red couldn't even dodge. 

"Time to die, Imposter."

The idiot posturing with a knife should have had all of Red's attention. But it didn't. Instead Red was focused on what was happening behind the guy. The large vent in the wall had popped open and a huge creature with tentacles and claws was coming out. Its form blurred in a way that made Red's brain hurt and eyes water, though he couldn't make himself look away. Then Papyrus was standing right there in the corridor.

He didn't even hesitate. Papyrus reached out and snapped the guy's neck like it was nothing. Red watched the body crumple at his feet like it was in some kind of slow motion. 

Without thinking, Red threw a check at Papyrus. 

His LV was 0. How could his LV still be 0? Red had just watched him kill a human. Was the human still alive? No, because human's necks didn't bend that way. He'd heard the guy's spine snap. The human was dead, check text didn't like, and there was no way to tell how many people Papyrus had killed because his LV didn't go up.

Then Papyrus reached towards him.

"Holy shit." The instinct to flinch back was ingrained, an aborted dodge that Red couldn't have stopped if he wanted to. He expected to be grabbed. But that's not what happened. Instead, Papyrus froze, his hand hovering in mid-air.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Papyrus's voice had gone soft, all his personality smothered in an effort to sooth Red like he was some skittish animal. "I've been looking for you."

"Why?" The question came out a little more panicked than Red wanted it to. Red swallowed and tasted metal in the back of his throat. He wanted to look down at the body at his feet.There was no way he was letting Papyrus out of his sight.

"We're going to leave. Sans is looking for Edge."

Just like that all the fear turned to anger, a white hot molten rage that coursed through Red. That was why his hands couldn't stop shaking. Anger.

"If my brother's dead then you're dead." Papyrus looked at him for a long second. "I'll kill everyone on the station if Edge is dead."

"OKAY." Papyrus moved his hand and Red tensed. He withdrew his hand and backed up a few steps. "WE NEED TO GO. DO YOU WANT ME TO LEAD OR DO YOU WANT TO GO IN FRONT?"

Red swallowed. Somehow he forced the words out, though every instinct was screaming at him not to show weakness. "I can't walk. Ankle."

"WELL THAT'S INCONVENIENT." Papyrus took a moment to think before he turned his back to Red and shuffled backwards. "WOULD THIS BE BETTER? I CAN CARRY YOU."

Was it better? He definitely couldn't walk quickly, and who knew where any of the other crewmates out to kill him were. Red also still have his utility knife. With a quick twist of his fingers, he slid it up his sleeve. Just in case. Despite all his instincts screaming danger, Red reached out and wrapped his arms around Papyrus.

There was something comfortably nostalgic about how Papyrus got his arms under Red's thigh bones, stood up, and then did a shrug to settle Red's weight. It reminded him of Edge carrying him home from Grillby's on those nights he'd had too much to drink. Red breathed in the scent of bones and tried to slow his racing soul.

"Now what?"

"NOW WE ARE GOING TO FIND MY BROTHER AND YOUR BROTHER. THEN I WE ARE LEAVING SO WE DON'T DIE."

"Sounds good to me."

Red forced himself not look back at the body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edge might be good at battle tactics, but let me tell you, Red is good at the tactics that cause people to disappear with no trace of what happened to them.


	16. The Great Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge will be glad to leave the station behind. Too bad Sans has to do one thing before they can go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas

Edge took his first deep breath when he saw Papyrus and Red come down the hall to the docking bay. He trusted Sans. Sans had romantic feelings for his and his brother. He trusted Papyrus. Papyrus had shown him nothing but friendship since they'd met. But Edge also trusted his brother to be as uncooperative and destructive as possible in a stressful situation. 

The fact that Papyrus was carrying him piggy-back style was a bit worrying. Edge hadn't realized his hand had tightened on Sans's shoulder until he patted Edge's hand. 

"it's alright. i'm sure there's a reason paps is carrying him."

"YES. RED IS HAVING A TINY BIT OF TROUBLE WALKING, BUT IT WAS NO PROBLEM FOR ME TO CARRY HIM." Papyrus turned around as soon as Red started reaching. Instead of reaching back, Edge checked him.

* SANS – HP 5/5 LV 6  
* He's fine, dumbass.

"What happened?" 

"I did somethin' to my fuckin' ankle," Red groused as he wrapped his arms around Edge's neck. "I can't even blame the humans. I stepped wrong."

"I'll heal it when we get off this station," Edge said. "Sans already knocked out the two monsters they had guarding the ship. Papyrus, can you do an emergency override of the docking bay doors?"

"YES, I AM HAPPY TO DO THAT WHILE YOU GET RED SETTLED," Papyrus said. "I TAKE IT SANS TALKED TO YOU ABOUT US ACCOMPANYING YOU ON YOUR SHIP?"

"Yes. You are welcome to join us."

"EXCELLENT! THEN LET US GO SOMEWHERE WHERE THERE ARE A LOT FEWER PEOPLE TRYING TO MURDER US."

"wait a second," Sans said. Everyone turned to look at him. "i need to blow the reactor."

"You need to what?" Red asked incredulously. Edge had much the same reaction, but calmly waited for Sans to explain. And if Sans didn't have a good explanation, he planned on hauling him aboard the ship with blue magic.

"we... uh... we still have a contract," Sans said, his eyes darting to Papyrus. "i can't just leave people on the station."

"So you're what? Gonna blow them up?"

"no. no i'll set the reactor count down for fifteen minutes."

"EVERYONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO REACH THE LIFEPODS BY THEN." Papyrus started looking through his pockets. Edge stared. He was going along with this? "I BELIEVE I HAVE MY MASTER KEY ON ME."

"No," Red said. "They'll be able to tell it was your key that let Sans in the reactor room. They can track that in the logs. Tryin' to escape on a ship to get away from a crew that's mutinied? Ain't no one gonna blame you for that. Blowin' up the reactor? Someone's gonna have to bring charges. Take this." There was a blank key card in his hands.

"WHAT IS THAT?" Papyrus asked.

"Copy of the master key for the station."

"You made a copy of your maintenance master key?" Edge asked. He didn't bother waiting for an answer. "That's illegal, and I work in Security." 

"I'm pretty sure you no longer work in Security if the rest of the crew tries to murder you, dumbass," Red snarked back. 

Edge scoffed. "That copy of the master key didn't materialize out of this air. You made it while I was still working in Security. How long have you had it?"

"That doesn't matter. It's a good thing I did make it because now it's useful." Red held out the swipe card to Sans. "Here. This way your bro's code won't show up on the logs."

"thanks." Edge watched Sans palm the card, and if his fingers lingered a bit longer touching Red than they needed to, no one commented on it. "i shouldn't take long. get the ship up and running because we're probably going to need to leave quickly."

"I never doubted that," Edge said. Then he gave into impulse and brushed a kiss on the top of Sans's skull. "Good luck and stay safe."

He would never get tired of watching Sans blush. "don't worry. i'll keep to the vents and be back as soon as i can."

Then Sans was gone, and Edge turned to board the ship.

***

Five minutes after Sans left the emergency warning started. Brrp. Brrp. Lights flashed in time with the sound. All the screens started showing a countdown of fifteen minutes. Normally, there would also be an announcement over the public address system, but it couldn't be made while communications were down. Edge watched the countdown from one of the cameras on the ship. 14:31. 14:30. 14:29.

"Go wait for him at the bottom of the ramp. You're drivin' me up the wall," Red grouched. As if Red wasn't just as anxious. He'd already run through the checklist for take-off four times, and was slowly working his way through it again.

He passed by Papyrus who was slowly pacing from one side of the ship to the other. Back and forth. Back and forth. Edge didn't bother feeding him platitudes about how Sans was sure to be back. It wouldn't do any good.

Waiting at the bottom of the ramp wasn't any less stressful. He'd already opened the docking bay doors just to have something to do. Edge watched the timer tick down on the screen. How close was Sans going to cut it? What was going on?

With just under three minutes left on the countdown, Sans appeared in the docking bay. He wasn't exactly running. Edge had never seen Sans run. But he was definitely moving much faster than his usual stroll.

"Everything okay?" Edge asked. He practically herded Sans up the ramp and onto the ship.

"those assholes left bruce locked in a cell. no one had bothered to let him out when the emergency started." Sans sounded disturbed by the casual cruelty of humans.. "i let him out and made sure he got to one of the pods."

"He owes you his life," Edge said. Sans shrugged.

"i get the feeling he is going to have a lot to report to the company and the rest of the crew isn't going to like what he has to say," Sans said. Even as he was speaking, he was moving towards one of the chairs and strapping himself in. "everything good papyrus?"

"YES. IT WAS NOT AT ALL STRESSFUL WAITING FOR YOU TO GET BACK," Papyrus said. "THAT WAS SARCASM."

"i could tell."

"Get strapped in. We need to leave now," Red called. Edge wedged himself into the captain chair. "We're clear. You ready?"

Edge finished with the last buckle as Red spoke. "Yes, brother. Let's go."


	17. Define Inhabitable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The company follows up with Sans and Papyrus.

Sans had been expecting from their employers for the last seven days, so he wasn't surprised when a call came requiring a passcode. He wasn't even surprised that the company knew where to find them. It wasn't like everyone on the station hadn't been able to figure out that Sans and Papyrus were on Red and Edge's side.

There was no way to get true privacy on Red and Edge's ship. The ship was small. The soundproofing was terrible. Even closing the door really didn't do much. So Sans didn't bother. He just took the call in the storage room that had been hastily converted into a second bedroom and left the door open. Papyrus was sitting on the bed behind him.

"GREETINGS PETER," Papyrus said. The man on the screen blinked. Sans usually was the one who did most of the negotiating. Papyrus didn't have the knack for reading humans that Sans did. So it was no wonder Peter was a bit put off.

"Hello, Papyrus. Hello, Sans." One of the few reasons Sans worked with this company was Peter. He was always polite, always referred to them by their names, and always did his best not to screw them over.

"hello peter."

"You two have been busy. I have been taking some time to review the reports that have been sent in. We were not expecting them to be final reports, but it seems like no more research will be done on the station," Peter said.

Red and Edge had already sent in their final reports. The only response was to acknowledge receipt. That wasn't that unusual. When things went south, it often took a while for companies to get all the facts together.

Sans hadn't bothered with a final report. He knew the company would contact them and he always preferred to deliver bad news verbally. The less incriminating evidence there was in writing, the better.

"i take it you want our reports as well."

"I do want to hear what happened in your own words, but that's not the main reason for the call. I am contacting you to discuss your violation of our contract and, in light of that, negotiate an adjusted payment.," Peter said. 

Sans cocked his head to one side. "that's a pretty serious charge. how did we violate the contract?"

"You blew the reactor." As if that explained everything.

"that left the station in one piece, which was one of the requirements in the contract"

"The station is uninhabitable though, which is specifically forbidden," Peter said. 

"THE DEFINITION OF INHABITABLE IS SUITABLE TO LIVE IN. YOU CAN LIVE IN THE STATION SO TECHNICALLY IT'S STILL HABITABLE," Papyrus replied. 

"just for short periods of time."

"OR LONG PERIODS OF TIME IF YOU DO NOT MIND HIGH LEVELS OF RADIATION AFFECTING YOU AT A CELLULAR LEVEL."

"or you can just wait a couple thousand years for the radiation levels to drop," Sans chimed in. Peter had his head in his hands. "then you can stay on board for longer."

"AND IT DEPENDS ON THE SPECIES. I HEAR THAT RATHACKARANS ARE ADAPTED TO HIGH AMOUNTS OF RADIATION. REALLY IF YOU WANTED THE STATION HABITABLE TO HUMANS FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME THEN THE CONTRACT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE SPECIFIC."

"I should have known better than to trust serial killers on-board a station with a reactor," muttered Peter. Sans didn't think they were supposed to hear that. He rubbed his temples like he had a headache

"TECHNICALLY IF SANS HAD KILLED ANYONE WITH THE REACTOR, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN A PARALLEL KILLER. BUT SINCE ONLY ONE PERSON WAS KILLED BY US IN SELF-DEFENSE, WE ARE NEITHER SERIAL NOR PARALLEL KILLERS."

Sans couldn't help but laugh. His brother was the best.

"My apologies. I didn't realize the microphone picked that last sentence up." Peter looked genuinely embarrassed. "It seems you believe that you are entitled to the full final payment of the contract."

"we did keep anyone from finding out about what was on the planet," Sans said. 

"The higher ups are not convinced you didn't break the contract. However, I do not want to sour our relations with your kind. Your work before this has been impeccable." Peter tapped the desk in front of him looking off in the distance. "Bruce was very complimentary about your work on the station. He said that you were the only crew members besides Red and Edge who did not mutiny. "

"i'm glad to hear bruce made it off," Sans said. "he's a good station manager. not his fault the rest of the crew were assholes."

"How much cut are you willing to take in the last payment?"

"NONE WOULD BE THE BEST AMOUNT." 

Peter smiled, a barely there quirk of his mouth, before his face turned serious. "I will do my best, but the company isn't pleased at the loss of the station." He held up his hand as Papyrus took a breath to argue their case. "Yes, we do know where the station is Papyrus. Sans, tell me what happened."

So Sans did. He started with meeting Red and Edge, talked about Patricia's death, went over the accusations of Imposters, outlined the mutiny, and ended with releasing Bruce. Sans also made sure to cover all the ways they had stopped the scientists from discovering what was on the planet. There was no mention of his relationship with Red and Edge. The company didn't need to know everything. Peter took no notes. But he did do what he always did, repeat back exactly what Sans had told him. Sans made a few minor corrections to his retelling.

"According to intergalactic law, your four did nothing wrong by ending your employment early. The crew had no right to mutiny. Patricia's death was from natural causes. Bruce was handling the situation. Red and Edge were not Imposters." Peter leaned back in his chair staring up at the ceiling. 

"DO NOT FORGET THAT AS A MEMBER OF SECURITY IT WAS MY JOB TO PROTECT INNOCENT CREW MEMBERS."

"Of course, Papyrus. I will mention that as well in my recommendation as well," Peter said. "You two have given me a lot to think about. How long are you planning on staying with Red and Edge in case I need to contact you?"

"a while."

"I will reach out when I have a solution. Have a good day Sans. Papyrus." Then the call ended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you confused about the serial vs parallel joke, the Mythbusters have an amazing demonstration of the difference:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmW6SD-EHVY


	18. Dealing with Paperwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who new dealing with paperwork after surviving a mutiny would be so annoying?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally gave in and bumped up the number of chapters for this series. There was just no way I was going to fit everything I wanted to into the last three chapters. So I'm adding another arc onto it.

The solution Peter came up with came two days later in the form of a couple of non-disclosure agreements and termination agreements. Not for Sans and Papyrus. No, these were for Red and Edge. Sans watched Edge read through the contract line by line, sometimes squinting at the text on the screen before making it larger. 

It wasn’t often that someone read contracts as closely as Imposters. Sans wasn't surprised Edge was one of those people. Just another reason why he was so awesome.

"They're givin' us hazard pay," Red said. He wasn't reading it as carefully as Edge. More just scanning it for the important bits. Obviously, money fell in that category. "Startin' bout the first time we got accused. That'll be a nice bonus on top of the rest of our pay. Nice of them to cough up what they owe us for the rest of our contract. "

"I notice that hazard pay does not extend from the beginning of the contract. Working on that station was a hazard from the start," Edge replied. "And the only way to get that additional pay is if we agree to their terms."

Red shrugged. "Terms ain't that bad."

"We would need to sign away our right to take the company to court over this." Edge continued to scroll through the document. 

"That's what you're hung up on? For fuck's sake Boss, what were we going to sue them for?"

"hostile work environment at the very least," Sans pointed out. There was a long moment of silence where every eye in the room was focused on him. Sans didn't mind. It wasn't the first time he'd had a joke fall flat. Then Red started laughing, genuine and a little rough.

"If we'd stayed on there much longer maybe we could've gotten them for unlawful termination."

Edge made a sound that could have been a laugh, or it could have been a noise of disgust over the fact that he almost laughed. "It's obviously a settlement. I don't trust it."

Sans tilted his head to one side, trying to understand Edge's logic. "why not?"

"It's a generous amount of hush money. The only way we'd be able to make a fuss is to out you, which they have to suspect we won't do. It would come down to our word against theirs. So what is their angle? Why make us an offer this good?"

Oh. Sans had just assumed that Red and Edge were listening in on the call, because that's what he would have done. He should have checked first.

"They probably wanna keep working with those two." Red gestured to Sans and then down the hall towards the galley. Papyrus was making another attempt at cooking a heat and eat meal. The fire alarm hadn't gone off yet, so Sans figured this one had been successful. "And since those two are with us, they figure that to keep them happy they got to keep us happy."

"How do you know that?"

"I listened in on their call with Peter."

"It's rude to eavesdrop," Edge said. It sounded like something he'd repeated to Red a thousand times, a well-worn argument that he knew he'd have again. Sans and Papyrus had several of those arguments as well. Maybe it was a universal sibling thing.

"IT IS FINE. WE CAN HARDLY EXPECT PRIVACY ON A SHIP THIS SMALL." Papyrus's voice carried through the ship. It served as a reminder that even though he wasn't in the room, he could hear everything. Not that Sans was going to start making out with Red or Edge right where his brother could hear. Probably. "I AM GLAD THAT PETER HAS FOUND A WAY FOR US TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH HIM AND TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE PROPERLY COMPENSATED."

"this is the first time things have gone bad for us with this company," Sans told Red and Edge. "peter will probably get us our money as well. this is just the first step in sweeping everything under the rug."

"Maybe." Edge did not sound like he was completely convinced.

"If there was somethin' on the planet the company didn't want anyone to know 'bout, why even have researchers studyin' it?" Red grumbled. "They could've saved us all this trouble if they just stuck the station in a geo stationary orbit on the other side of the planet from whatever it was they were hiding."

"they were looking for something on the surface," Sans said in return. "that's as much as i got from the scientists. it sounded like the next step was an exploratory mining expedition. it's not good business practice to ask too many questions about that sort of thing."

"Why they had researchers on the station doesn't matter now," Edge said. "I do wonder if this is a final offer or the beginning of a negotiation."

"How much more you want?" Red asked. "Greed never got us anywhere."

"Enough to buy us a bigger ship would be nice." Sans would have taken it as a complaint except Edge placed a hand on his head as he spoke. The sound of bone rubbing against bone was loud in Sans's head, a pleasant counterpoint to the sensation of being petted. "I enjoy the company and would like you to remain."

"you know we're happy to help put some money in as well," Sans said. "we'll be paid too."

"It still won't be enough." Edge's hand trailed down the back of Sans's skull, rubbing gently down his cervical spine. Sans felt a slight rumble from his chest, and there was a rough, throaty sound emerging every time he breathed in or out. That had never happened before. Red was grinning like a shark so Sans figured it couldn't be a bad thing.

"Doesn't take much to get you purring, does it Sans?"

Sans gave Red the finger in reply.

"PETER SAID HE WOULD ONLY REACH OUT WHEN HE HAD A SOLUTION," Papyrus called out. Edge's hand dropped away. Which was unfortunate. "THAT IS PROBABLY THE BEST HE COULD DO."

Edge sighed. "Then I guess we should sign it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably find the "unlawful termination" joke funnier than I really should.


	19. Alcohol and Tentacles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red may have some unhealthy coping mechanisms, but sometimes they work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I had to update the tags.

Red was not drunk.

He really wasn't. A half bottle of alcohol was not enough to get him drunk. Red wasn't that much of a lightweight. Instead he was pleasantly buzzed. Red felt like that distinction was  
important, though maybe also a sign that he was drunker than he'd like to admit. But Red was not drunk. There was no danger of him blacking out, he wasn't seeing double, and his fine motor skills were still there. Mostly. 

So not drunk.

Instead, he was extremely relaxed. Some of that might be because he was laying on-top of Sans. They hadn't had sex. But they had made out with each other in between swallows of alcohol, until being upright seemed like too much work. Now they were both sprawled on the bed – on Red and Edge's bed – just laying around.

Edge was probably going to be pissed. He never liked it when Red got to drinking. It was one of the reasons why alcohol wasn't stocked on their ship. Not that Red didn't try to keep a few stashes, but Edge seemed to have a sixth sense about where they were. If he found them, he threw them out. It was almost a game between them at this point.

This time Sans was the supplier for the alcohol. He'd found it while he'd been on the station exploring in the vents - a full crate of the stuff, probably leftover from when the station had  
been a smuggler's hide out. Sans had shoved half of the stuff into his inventory. 

Whatever. Red wasn't going to turn down a gift from Fate, even if he didn't recognize the label. Luckily it turned out to be really good.

Maybe two skeletons laying on top of each other shouldn't be comfortable, but it was. Red was content for the moment to just feel the rise and fall of Sans's chest as he breathed. Maybe he'd get up enough coordination to continue their make-out session. Or maybe he'd start purring to see if he could get Sans to purr back. Right now it was just nice to be here.

Then the tablet on the side table chimed. 

Sans looked over at it and Red grumbled. He was comfortable here and he was not moving. Sans seemed to realize that was the case because while he stretched out one hand, he didn't try to scoot any closer. Red deigned to tilt his head and huff out a laugh. There was a good foot between the end of Sans's fingers and the edge of the tablet.

"hey." Red didn't bother making words. Instead he responded with a low noise to indicate he was paying attention. "do you mind if i use my tentacles?"

Well fuck. Red had thought he'd hidden his reactions every time Sans or Papyrus had brought up tentacles pretty well. Obviously not if Sans was asking before whipping them out.

He'd been fine with the idea before. Everyone knew Imposters had tentacles. It was one of those things that came up again and again in stories. If anything, Red had been kind of looking forward to how they would work in the bedroom.

Then Papyrus had killed someone right in front of him. Intellectually, Red knew Papyrus had snapped the guy's neck with his hands. He'd seen it. Mentally though, the sight of Papyrus's tentacles - _long, thick, ending in sickle shaped claws, strong enough to tear him apart or slowly squeeze him to death, his ankle was hurt, he was trapped, and once those tentacles caught him there would be no getting away_ \- had become linked with someone dying. Red couldn't stop the sudden spike in anxiety every time tentacles came up in conversation.

Trauma was a bitch.

"Go ahead." Red wasn't sure what prompted him to say it. Probably the alcohol. There was something comforting about having a warm haze in his brain that slowed his thoughts.

That didn't mean he didn't react at all. Red turned his head so he could watch as a tentacle slowly stretched towards the tablet. He didn't tense up. Red was sure of that. Sans seemed to feel his unease anyway because the tentacle hesitated.

Then an inch shy of the tablet, Sans's tentacle gave that frustrated wiggle that happened when something is just out of reach. Red snorted. Sans's grin turned soft and fond, as he grabbed the tablet and moved it to right in front of his face. "a junk message. i should have just left it." His tentacle deposited the tablet back on the table.

"Can I see?" Red asked.

"the tablet?"

"No, your tentacle." Red reached out his hand. "Lemme see it."

There was no hesitation from Sans, though Red could tell that he kept the tentacle's movements slow and deliberate. Even then Red flinched slightly when it touched him. 

It was warm. Somehow Red hadn't thought it would be warm. The tentacle flexed under his touch, a full on contraction like the entire thing was one big muscle. Maybe it was. Red didn't know. Biology had never been his interest. There was no slime. It wasn't even moist. No claws at the end either.

"Papyrus's has claws." Red hadn't meant to say that. It wasn't a question, but Sans answered it anyway. 

"yeah. it's because he's... i don't know the word. a different gender?"

"Huh." Red should ask more questions, but he was distracted by the feel of the tentacle in his grip. The top was smooth, but the bottom had a bumpy texture. Sans sucked in a breath when he moved his fingers. 

"You can feel that?" Stupid question. Of course Sans could feel it. The tentacle was a part of him.

"yes."

Absently, Red stroked it again, just to hear the catch in Sans's breath. Then he let it go. Maybe this would be alright. "I ain't up for sex, and don't trap me. But you can touch me with them if you want."

Sans breathed out. It didn't take a Judge to see the want on his face, but being one didn't hurt. "ok. tell me if it's too much."

"Yeah, 'kay." As Red settled back down, the tentacle kept touching him. Another two appeared, twining loosely around Red. Another one was stroking down his spine in long, slow sweeps. The other - Three? Five? Fuck how many tentacles did Sans have? – were randomly curling around Red's bones. It was nice. Red let his eyes fall shut and put his head back down on Sans's chest.

Maybe the tentacles weren't so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edge is going to find them drunk and snoring in his bed and not be impressed.
> 
> Also, I was hoping for more tentacles and less emotional feels, but the characters had other ideas.


	20. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edge has warned Red before about falling asleep drunk in his bed.

Edge wasn't sure what he was expecting when he came into the bedroom, but Red contentedly sleeping on Sans while wrapped in tentacles was not on the list. He stood in the doorway, light leaking into the room around him. Both of them were still asleep. Red was making a raspy, buzzing sound that was not quite a snore. Meanwhile, the very tips of Sans's tentacles were periodically twitching as if he was dreaming.

The whole thing would have been adorable if it weren't for the fact that Edge could smell the alcohol from where he stood. 

With a sigh, Edge stepped further into the room. Red turned his face away from the light, burrowing it in Sans's collar bone. Both of them were still in the boxer shorts and T-shirts they'd worn to bed. Whatever had happened to them, it hadn't involved sex. Or at least a form of sex that required them to get naked. Given how lazy Red was, Edge wouldn't put it past him to have sex while fully clothed.

Carefully, Edge reached out to lift his brother up. Sans's tentacles tightened around him, holding Red in place. He went to untangle them only to have one of the thicker ones wrap around his wrist and squeeze. Not hard enough to hurt. Still, Edge knew a warning when he felt one. 

"hrrn?" It wasn’t even a word. More a questioning noise. Edge carefully turned his hand until his finger bones could wrap around the tentacle. He squeezed it gently. It squeezed back in a ripple of muscle.

"It's just me," Edge said softly. Fuzzy white eyelights appeared in Sans's eyes and blearily focused on him. "I'm trying to get my brother."

"m'kay." Edge watched as the tentacles slowly withdrew from Red's bones and slid to the bed. He slid an arm under Red's femurs, and gently heaved him up. His brother was a solid weight in his arms. One Edge would gladly carry.

"Bro?" The word was slurred. Whether it was from the lingering effects of the alcohol or sleep, Edge didn't know. Red must have already decided it was him, because he wrapped his arms around Edge's neck. It made something warm settle in his chest. Even though they'd been together for years now, Red's trust always surprised him.

"It's me," Edge confirmed. He settled Red's weight against his front. This was a familiar routine for them both, and whether it was because Red was too drunk, too drugged, or too hurt to move on his own didn't matter.

"five more minutes," Sans said sleepily. He rolled over to his side, drawing in his tentacles to wrap around himself. It looked like he was cold. Edge shifted his brother's weight in his arms just enough that he could snag a blanket from the foot of the bed. When he draped it over Sans, he seemed to uncurl just a bit.

The shower was a mere three steps away from the bed. It was little more than a recess with a door for privacy. Most ship showers were barely big enough for one person to fit, but Red had ripped out the never used toilet in the recess beside it and expanded the shower. One of the advantages of having a brother who specialized in maintenance work. Now both of them could fit. Possible even three of them if Sans wanted.

Edge kept one arm under his brother's femurs while he used his hand to hit buttons on the panel. The lights in the shower came on. Water started to spray out of the showerhead. Red made some sort of noise into his collar bone. It wasn't words so Edge ignored it. Instead he stuck his hand into the shower to test the water.

Ice cold. Perfect. Edge stepped forward until Red was under the water

"MOTHER FUCKER." Red grabbed at Edge as though he could climb him to get away from the cold. Edge was expecting that. It was part of the reason he was still in his sleeping clothes. He stepped forward, putting Red more under the spray. "YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE."

The cold water hits his bones as well as Red's. Edge gritted his teeth. It would warm up soon enough. Until then, he just had to deal with cold, wet clothes.

"Why are you like this?" Red asked. It was a rhetorical question, but Edge answered it anyway.

"You know what happens when you get drunk in my bed." The water was beginning to go from tepid to hot. He could feel Red beginning to relax against him. "I'm going to have to do laundry and clean the mattress just to get the smell out."

"It ain't that bad."

"Then you won't mind helping me do it."

"Fucker." Despite his complaints, Red was back to leaning his head against Edge's shoulder. "You could have at least gotten me some pain killers."

"Once we're out." Edge took a moment to push some healing magic into Red. His brother relaxed even more as his headache eased. "You're not using shower water to take the pills. It's unsanitary."

"It's the same recycled water that comes out of the tap," Red replied.

"is everything okay?" Sans's voice cut through their argument. Edge looked over to see that Sans was standing uncertainly in front of the shower. The tentacles were gone. Sans was squinting at the shower light, like it caused him pain.

"Sorry. We didn't mean to wake you up," Red said. 

"you didn't. i was awake." Edge didn't even need to be a Judge to know that was a lie. 

Perhaps it was overstepping, but Edge reached out a hand and put it against Sans's skull. Sans didn't even question it. Just leaned his weight into the touch, trusting Edge to hold him up. Edge let healing magic trickle through his hand until Sans sighed. "There is enough room for three in here if you don't mind being close.

"are you sure? i wouldn't want to interrupt."

"You're not interrupting anything," Red said. He reached out hand. "Come on."

"You are welcome to join us."

The reassurance seemed to be convincing enough. Sans stepped inside and closed the shower door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love how none of these dumbasses bothered to take off their clothes before getting in the shower. -_-
> 
> Miome, upon looking hearing what I intended for this chapter basically said "If Edge did that to me when I was hungover, one or both of us would not be leaving the ship alive." It's a good thing Red loves his brother. :D


	21. So many feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus and Sans have a chat and moments of brotherly affection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not the chapter I intended to write, but I am not complaining. Setting up the last arc.

"ISN'T IT NICE TO HAVE SO MUCH SPACE?" Papyrus said, throwing his arms wide and nearly smacking a human in the head in the process.

It was weird to think of the space station as having space given that the promenade was packed with all sorts of alien species. In some areas they were shoulder to shoulder in the crowd. Other times it the numbers thinned or the space opened up, and they both had a moment to breath. The whole thing was a noisy, chaotic mess. 

Sans never thought he be so grateful to dock at a space station in his life, but he agreed with Papyrus. Four people in that tiny ship was claustrophobic. They were always on top of each other. It was getting a bit much.

Eventually they'd found a quiet corner tucked between two shops where the renovated walls didn't quite meet. Papyrus had grabbed them both some sort of savory drinks. Now they were enjoying them and watching aliens walk by.

"I WISH I COULD STRETCH MY TENTACLES OUT," Papyrus said. Sans was glad he wasn't drinking because he probably would have snorted it. He looked around, but no one seemed to be paying them any attention. Even if Papyrus did mentioned tentacles at top volume.

"you usually don't assume that form.

"I KNOW," Papyrus said. He looked down into his drink, like he could somehow find the answer there. "I WENT YEARS IN THIS SHAPE. AND I LIKE IT! I WAS FINE WITH IT. THEN WE GOT ON THE RED AND EDGE'S SHIP AND THERE IS NOT ENOUGH ROOM FOR ME TO SHIFT EVEN IF I WANTED TO. NOW IT'S ALL I THINK OF. THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO ASSUME THAT FORM THAT MAKES WE WANT TO SHIFT."

"it's easier to not want to shift when it's a choice."

"YES! EXACTLY." Sans reached out and laid a hand on Papyrus's shoulder. His brother sighed. "I LIKE BEING WITH RED AND EDGE..." Papyrus trailed off. He let his brother think for a while before prompting him to continue.

"i like being with them as well," Sans said. Papyrus gave him a sly look.

"I BET YOU DO."

"paps."

"I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YOU. I AM GRATEFUL THAT RED AND EDGE FOR LETTING US STAY WITH US. BUT I DO NOT KNOW HOW LONG I CAN BE ON THE SHIP," Papyrus finally admitted. When his brother breathes in, there is a wet sound that makes something hurt inside Sans. "I AM SORRY."

"hey, no." Sans abandoned his drink in favor of pulling Papyrus into a hug. "you don't need to apologize. i get it." He'd been feeling much of the same thing, though to a lesser extent. 

"You can still shift. You're smaller and there's room," Papyrus said in a much quieter voice. Sans tightened his hold. "Even if you can't go into vents because the vents are tiny on the ship. Not that you need to, because Red and Edge know."

"yeah." As if Sans didn't already realize how lucky he was already. "they are pretty awesome." Which made saying the next words that much harder. Somehow Sans managed to do it. "if we need to, we can leave their ship. we can stay somewhere else. red and edge will understand. lots of people do long distance relationships if it comes to that."

"SANS, NO." Papyrus immediately pulled away from the hug, but held onto Sans. He even gave him a little shake. "NO. YOU ARE NOT DOING THAT JUST FOR ME." Sans sucked in a breath to argue, but Papyrus talked right over. "DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO FIND SOMEONE IN THE UNIVERSE WHO APPRECIATES YOUR TERRIBLE HUMOR, DOESN'T MIND YOUR MESS, AND WHO WANTS YOU TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF? OUTSIDE OF ME OBVIOUSLY. YOU HAD TO FIND TWO PEOPLE TO GET ALL OF THOSE QUALITIES AND IT TOOK YOU YEARS. ABSOLUTELY NOT."

"heh." Trust Papyrus to lighten the mood. "i'm not breaking up with them. just suggesting that we take a break."

"NO." Sans recognized the stubborn set of Papyrus's shoulders. "I WON'T ALLOW IT. I WILL FIND A WAY TO DEAL WITH THIS. I KNOW YOU ARE THE OLDER BROTHER BY FIFTEEN MINUTES, BUT I AM A PERFECTLY CAPABLE ADULT."

"true." Papyrus was pretty awesome. Still, Sans didn't want him to suffer. "you could always go through the vents on the station."

"HERE? NOW?"

Sans shrugged. "why not? get it out of your system before you leave. we're on the station for another week. that's plenty of time to stretch your tentacles."

"MOST STATIONS HAVE THEIR VENTS MONITORED." Sans could see the battle in his brother's eyes. Part of him wanted to not get them into trouble, and another part really wanted to shift. "THERE WOULD BE SENSORS AND CAMERAS. I WOULD PROBABLY NOT BE ABLE TO AVOID THEM."

"no, but i could always overload the system and take down some of the cameras and sensors."

"THAT WOULD BE HIGHLY DANGEROUS AND ALSO WOULD MAKE STATION SECURITY VERY SUSPICIOUS." It almost sounded like Papyrus was trying to convince himself.

"it could take days for them to get it back up."

"PEOPLE COULD GET HURT."

"so you want me to get started?"

"YES PLEASE."

***

In the end, they wound up having to leave the station earlier than planned because someone spotted Papyrus on a camera that Sans hadn't been able to disable. Sans didn't care. Seeing his brother more relaxed than he had been was worth an emergency exit. 

**Author's Note:**

> I head cannon for this that the reason Sans can taste potatoes and tomatoes is because they contain compounds that are toxic to people (solamine and tomatine, respectively) and that's what he's tasting. Not the actual flavor of the potatoes or tomatoes. These compounds cannot be destroyed through processing.
> 
> FYI, neither of these compounds is present in sufficient quantities in ripe tomatoes or normal potatoes to affect humans. Just don't eat green potatoes.


End file.
